Kuret was standing on the prow of the ship, and the vessel’s thorn cut the waves that hit the side of the ship, and the pitching is not so strong here. The Cretan looked at the high banks that followed his gaze, looked at the sky, it was more transparent, and now with almost no clouds, although there were a storm here, though not dangerous. Again he was in the north, Nearh sailed on a thirty-ship boat along the great river Ra, to the temple of Latona and her children, Apollo-Ulla and Elisia. Health began to fail, he felt that something was wrong with him, his heart ached. Kuret walked by ship from the harbor on the Hyrcan Sea, repeating the path of Darius and Cyrus, but hoped that he would end more and more happily. His wife recently died, his sons grew up and returned to Crete, to his grandfather, and he was no longer holding anything at home. On the river, warriors and ambassadors’ servants often fished, and the accompanying, from local tribes, first Scythians, and then Sarmatians, showed them the way, and pointed out where they could safely stick. At night, when the sky was free of clouds, he measured the height above the horizon of the Polar Star with an astrolabe, recognizing the breadth of the terrain. Kormschik watched the actions of an elderly Cretan man with increasing attention, and once approached him.

– Do not show what you measure and what device? – asked his Scythian.

Cretan showed how to install the device to the horizon line, how to calculate the angle to which the Polar Star or Uterus rises, as it is here are called So the road turned out to be filled with training for the local feeder, and less attention was spent on mosquitoes. The river was simply endless, it was here for the second time, but it was still surprised, the delta, where they sailed from the sea, much more than the Nile delta, and there were many islands, and whole forests of reeds. Climbed up the river, and its width was almost ten stages. Local tribal leaders, fulfilling the will of the Great White Tsar, assisted the ambassadors, one of whom was Nearh. They hunted and fished together, especially he liked sturgeon, which he could not find in his native Crete, and then a second time he saw a bear, it would seem an enormous beast, and has no tail, which was unusual for the Greeks who were here with him. The forests here were huge, and the mosquitoes were even bigger, and for the first time when he was here, the nasal bore him a great deal. Soon, in a month, they sailed to the capital of the White Tsar, which was called differently – Belgrade and Tsargrad. The city stood on the tributary of the White Great River, and although the city was full of wood, it was vast and beautiful. As soon as they landed at the pier, the guards came to them, and after finding out who had arrived, the envoys were taken to the Upper City. It was here for the first time, everything was fascinating, the pavements were also covered with wood, but it was beautiful and clean, even the fences of the houses were painted in different colors and covered with carvings. People are dressed in linen, embroidered at the throat and on the sleeves, pants and soft boots. in men, and dresses in women. Nearh with interest examined patterns of clothing residents.

“Listen, respectable, but I can’t buy myself such a tunic,” he addressed the conductor.

– Can you find now, answered the conductor.

And they went to the bargaining, where for some time the Sarmatian retired, and returned with a gray shirt with rich embroidery, and gave it to a Cretan, and soon came to the Kremlin, a wooden Fortress, most of whose walls were covered with earth, so that under a huge shaft, in front of which was a huge ditch. When they approached the gate, the king’s envoy rode up to them, and said, they were waiting for them. for the Stone, down to the Studied Sea. Terem was assembled from huge logs, with a beautiful porch and renmi stairs, beautiful carvings adorned the platbands of the wooden palace. They were led further to the hall, where the White King sat on the throne, a man in a golden root of eight petals. gold growing from the rim covering the head of the lord, also adorned with a fur coat of luxurious furs, fine work of boots, in his hand was a staff. He was guarded by young men in white robes, armed with small hatchets. Ambassadors approached the throne, Nearh politely introduced himself,

“Greetings, Great White King, we came in respect from the Lato temple, from Crete, and these are our gifts, and the servants offered a casket with offerings, and let us visit the temple of the Golden Goddess.”

– We are glad to see you, Nearh and your companions too, We will miss you, and there you will be welcome too. – and the king allowed the newcomers to sit down – and you, the messenger, he nodded to Nearh, I will be glad to invite you for a conversation, we need to talk alone on one.

The companions rose, leaving Nearch with the king, and the petards left through another door, and when everyone left, the Lord of the North descended from the throne, and sat down with Nearh on a carved bench.

– I am glad that you came back to us, with the guests whom you left with Arifarn all right, the children were born and have already grown, two sons, they ride horses very well, manage with a bow and a spear, mothers do not care about their souls. And magicians-yars love them, and guns, and Sarmatians. They don’t know anything about their father, then at the dedication I’ll tell them everything. The king said this to a Cretan, with a smile on his face, but there was a note of fear in his eyes.

– Magi? The very ones that defeated Cyrus, and Darius killed them with their deception, and about which they make terrible legends in Judea?

– Here is their home, they have taken the oaths of Ellisia and Ullus, and since then they have been faithful to them. They go hiking not for fame or fortune, but only in the name of justice. Do not be afraid of them. There is also moksha, and Ars, all of these are warriors of gods. The very first time you and Arifarns went all the way to the very yazhes whom you call Issedons. – He said, grinning, holding one hand on the armrest, and the other resting on his chin.

– You are the chosen one, they indicated you in a dream. Live as much as you want, “said the great king, and with visible difficulty, he slightly bowed to Nearh.

– We spend the night and go on the river further. Will Magyars and Guna recognize us and let us through to the Issedons? “The messenger asked.

“You have a bracelet on your right hand, you are a welcome guest,” the king answered. “It was you who was sent to Ulls, and not to us,” said the sovereign, “we didn’t deserve it.”

“Probably, there was simply a flaw in us, the people of the South, and He came to make us better, and you are so close to him,” Nearh replied.

“You can console,” the king sighed sorrowfully, “and this feeling is akin to thirst, and bitterness is still in the heart.” I hope, then tell me about it.

“Stay, spend the night in the palace,” said the northerner to Nearh. “The quarters are ready. Take a bath, it is hotly heated, and honey and kvass are waiting for guests.

Travelers washed in a wooden bathhouse of huge logs, it was hot, there was hot water, and the pilgrims washed away the tiredness of the road, and fed them with dinner, local food, which was not fried at all, just stewed in the oven, boiled meat, elk, fish in pots, cabbage chowder, and served bread, round and lush, made from rye flour, sour dough, which was not in Hellas and Asia, and all this was washed down with honey and kvass. They drank from the vessels, which Nearh had seen in Crete, dippers, only here they were wooden and silver. I wanted to try everything, so the guests hardly returned to the room.

“Thank you, king,” the Cretan man replied, “order me to boil some water for me.”

– Well, you will bring a vessel with boiling water.

Soon the servant brought a pot-bellied rounded vessel of bronze on the legs with a tap on one side, and on top of a small pipe steam was flowing. With curiosity, to say the least, a Cretan citizen began to inspect the device, put up a cup, and hot water poured down,

“How does the curiosity heat up?” -I want to know it, -fire a fire at the bottom? -to show the curiosity in Alexandria, the mechanics of Ptolemy would be delighted, he thought.

“No, inside the vessel is another, coals are thrown there, and they inflate with small furs, and the water boils,” the servant answered and left the guest’s chambers.

Nearh went up to his bag and poured out ground willow bark from there, and put this powder in a mug of boiling water. Soon the potion was ready, he stirred it with a spoon, it was wooden here, like so much around, quite comfortable, and when the infusion cooled, he drank it. The Cretan man took out his notes, read what he had written down about the river way, and undressed for bed. In the hands of a northerner held two dishes of fine work silver, brought by Arifarny as a gift many years ago. He turned them to a Cretan figure, he looked up, and saw Alexander, ascending on gryphons and a chased portrait of Elicia, made from his drawing.

A Cretan lay down to sleep, having taken another willow infusion, his heart hardly hurt, lying on warm furs and covered veil was just great, and after a hard long road and bath, he quickly fell asleep and saw the one he dreamed about. It was cold again, even under bear furs, his head was like on fire, he almost did not breathe, his chest was squeezed by steel hoops. She came, this time right away, in all the splendor of her beauty, put her hand on his forearm, her eyes looked intently at him, and smiling at him, said:

– You finally came home a sailor, and you have been waiting for a long time. Your ship is on the shore and your wanderings are over.

Temple of fate

The evening came, it quickly became dark, and the archon of the city of Lato was supposed to reach the temple of Latona. He was not alone, but as befitted, with a pair of slaves walking with torches lighting his way. The shrine was already white nearby, and the ruler was allowed out of the brass door, leaving his companions outside. “They can’t,” said the high priestess. Androtim, who came to Latone for his traditional prayer, offered gifts, and the priestess accepted them. The subjects were taken by a young priestess, but judging by the dress, already initiated into the sacraments. The girl looked like an old ivory statuette of Elisia, holding two snakes in her hands. The face and the statuette, and the young priestess were similar to the people of the far North, where the archon’s grandfather made a pilgrimage to the banks of the sacred river, and visited the most ancient shrines, including the city dedicated to the goddess Lato, as well as his own city ruler. My grandfather met there even pilgrims from faraway Iran, who brought rich gifts to the gods. The attendants had already lit the lamps, and the high priestess went away with gifts to the pronaos, placing the offerings at the feet of the goddess. The statue was beautiful, made of wood and ivory. It was not for the first time that the archon glanced around the temple, the ocher walls, the bronze statues at the entrance, for some reason lingered on the doors. The chants soon subsided, and the sovereign was preparing to leave, when suddenly…

– The mountain gave birth to a favorite under the lucky star!!! He came again! – it began to scream that very young priestess, inexpressibly changed in the face. She shivered, convulsions beat her, and she, holding the bronze lamp standing next to her, continued:

– Saurokton! Savior! The one that was expected! He will not be defeated! He will bring the law again! It will pass all tests, go all the way to the end! And the bull, and the river, and the secret!

And already falling, said the last:

“And at the very end she will meet her sister.”

The sovereign rushed to help, but the elder priestess overtook him, and together with the servants they carried, but rather dragged the insensible body to the tabernacle and to another door from the temple, further to the room nearby. The archon waited, did not leave, he himself was horrified – it’s one thing to know that there are gods, and another to get confirmation of this. He waited for the elder priestess, who came with a helper, carrying something on a tray covered with a veil. She tore the cloth from the shrine, which had been hidden before, and ordered:

– Swear! I implore all dear to you!

The archon, accustomed to what he orders, and accustomed to reverence and submission, nodded without thinking, agreeing…

– I swear… That I will not reveal the secret.

“Not only…” said the priestess. “You swear that you or your son will help him in everything.”

Here the archon was seized with fear, he was not afraid of any battles, nor the autumn sea, was seriously afraid and proud to become a companion of the Messenger of honor, and at the same time bitterness and ruin.

“I’m ready,” he said, firmly pressing his lips.

– Not you. Your son. Now he will be called Nearh. Then you send him to the temple in the Cave of Idea, the mentor will instruct him when he grows up. – she turned to the priestesses, and looked at everyone.

– We are blessed.. For many years we did not have a seer. Swear on everything that no one will reveal secrets, or Latona and Elicia will punish you. said the priestess solemnly, raising the burning torch upwards.

Initiation Nearh

The young man walked alone, as he was commanded.. On foot, as a petitioner, and carried his uncomplicated load on himself, as well as a message for a priestess who would meet him at the Sacred Trail. He liked his native land, it was springtime, and Crete was always particularly beautiful at this time, with many streams, beautiful forests and fields, the road did not seem dull. The son of the archon was thinking about what he had to learn, and how long he would linger for the dedication.: “I hope not for fifty years, as Epimenides… Although, who knows, and my father swore for me. “The young man imagined how he would go into the cave, they would prepare his cell, he would read Homer’s chants, and fall asleep by fifty, no, sixty, or even seventy years. Then he will wake up, but his mother and father won’t (even scary to think), he has a beard up to his knees, and his name is to take damage from some city, or to expel the plague, or the Council will send him to the North, to Elisha’s homeland with gifts, and maybe Ullis himself will help him in his travels… And he will meet the mistress of the Mountain, Beautiful Elicia, solve three riddles, and she will leave him with him. “Dreaming, the young man stumbled and fell on his palms, slightly scratching them, but managed to turn his face away from the stone, not just because his teacher trained. At home, the Teacher tells about the secrets of science, and the tutor teaches me to wield a weapon. “I will soon become an ephebes and dedicate my hair Ull. “Approaching the plateau of Nida, where the idea trail begins, he gazed at the view of the mountainous plain below the plateau, the area covered with bushes and trees seemed magnificent, but he turned and walked along the path overgrown with bushes on either side. There were beautiful flowers and poppies, just unusually red here. Well, where the flowers are, there are bees, but not one stung the young man, they just flew around him with a clear interest. Moving so, the young man moved to his goal, and near the huge cave throat, the adept finally saw the priestess, his mentor. She was a beautiful girl of twenty, with uncovered hair, as befitted a priestess, in a white dress and gray cloak, with a hairpin at her left shoulder. Nearh approached her and called out:

– Hello to you. I came according to the father’s vow and the order of the priestess Latona of our city, Lato. I am the son of the archon, Nearh, must pass the tests and initiations. “I am ready, madam,” the young man said bravely, almost not stammering with excitement.

– Already? Only appeared already and the feat amiss? – the girl replied, in a poetic way, taken aback by surprise by the young man, who did not know what to answer to the girl. Usually, Nearhs didn’t get into his pocket for a word, but here, it seemed, the speech he had spoken about himself wiped out of his memory so many times, and he blushed painfully, and squeezed out of himself:

– I was instructed by the priestess before the path to the ideological sanctuary, I came alone and without a servant, as it should.

– I see.. – she answered meticulously, – Brought with me food? Wooden bucket with you? You can get drunk in the creek. You will spend the night in a cave, and in the morning I will come and instruct you, except for me there will be three more teachers, I will introduce you to them. – the girl said this, and smiled, and the smile painted her extraordinary face.

– What is your name, lady? – The novice asked, trying to smile as cheekily as possible.

– Kallifena, – she answered, -Come on, I will show you your dwelling.”

They descended to the cave of the Idea cave along a wooden staircase, on special ledges were lamps made of clay, came up to a niche in the rock, where there was a pile of straw, a bed for a young Cretan, next to a simple clay amphora, covered with a lid, in a special stand and a lamp with oil. The young man threw his bag with a blanket, a new holiday chiton, put a bow and arrows next to it, and Homer’s hymns, recorded on linen, parchment was expensive.

– Sing, drink a cup of an amphora infusion, but not more than one, otherwise you will die. Tell about the visions. Wake up at dawn, teachers will come to you. – she finished in a stern voice, holding her hands in front of her, and looked from the young man to his simple bed.

– Thank you, Kallifena, – Nearh said, turning to the priestess.

– No for that yet. Do not be afraid of dreams and visions, they can be real.

The girl left and Nearh saw how she was already climbing the stairs, it wasn’t so good without her, the priestess was beautifully built, beautiful, and the archon’s son became interesting not only as a mentor or a keeper of secrets, so he sighed heavily and opened his bag There were several flat cakes, honey, cheese, flint, a hair comb, a spare string, a wooden scoop, a new beautiful clothes, bandages and medicinal herbs. He took out a ladle, poured there a decoction of amphora and drank the infusion. He sat for a bit, but did not die, as he secretly feared (who knows what the witches had on his mind), looked at his hand, did not seem to shake, grinned at his fears, ate a cake with honey and some cheese, got out, drank from the stream, scored water in a scoop at night, and looked around. In the distance was a small house, an ordinary earthen hut with a reed roof, apparently serving as a refuge for the priests of God. He promised himself that he would go there the next night without fail. When he returned, undressed and wrapped himself in his veil, he thought about home, father and mother, brothers and sisters, and wished that everything would be fine with them. Especially nothing dreamed of, only the hometown of Lato, the wine-colored sea. Soon dawn came, he fell asleep, got up, went to the stream to wash, got dressed and ate, even read a little of Homer, his beautiful chants. Soon a man came a little above average height, strong but not powerful physique, about thirty years old, without a beard with long dark hair, about which he led two horses, a bay suit, and not so much breed.

– Hello, Nearh, I am a teacher of military skills, at the temple, with me you will become a skilled rider, spearman, shooter, swordsman, you can even outrun Fidipid if he were alive. My name is Diokles.

“Hello, teacher,” said the young man after seeing the mentor, a tall and strong Cretan.

– Sit down on a horse, we will drive along the path where we will study, and you will run every day, morning and evening. – the teacher said.

They rode alongside a trot, and Diokles showed how to change the horse’s gait, how not to injure it, and so that it wouldn’t be able to drive the horse, Nearch learned a lot of new things for himself. They dismounted, and, taking wooden swords and undressing, began to dance to the pyrrhus, and then fence them with a shield and without a shield, with a dagger and a sword. Some racks. with a sword, blows and biases, he saw on the ancient seals, depicting a warrior with long hair, striking his enemies with a deft attack.

– Remember Nearh, fencing with a sword on a horse and on foot, is different, especially when you try to put a gift on the infantryman. Not in vain Athenians from a horse act only with darts, and the sword is in extreme cases. – taught his experienced fighter. One evening Diokles came to him with a long pipe in a precious wooden case with loops of silver.

“The disciple went, the sky is clear,” said the tutor, and impatiently began to push him forward, they rose from the cave, upward, the sky was clear, the stars shone around, and the moon hung full.

“Sit on the stone,” the teacher ordered him, and he opened the elongated casket and took out the receiver, stretched out the narrower end, and stretched it to the young man, he carefully took the device in his hand.

“Look at the phone on the moon,” said an agitated voice. Nearh did not believe his eyes. Diokl approached him and adjusted the smaller pipe and the youth’s eye, and the image became clear, he saw dark dips on the moon.

“Now find Mars,” the tutor added, and he pointed it in the sky, the student put the phone in there, saw the red planet as a small circle, not as a star, and two points nearby.

“Thank you teacher,” Nearhs mumbled in shock, “and our masters are great, I saw glass with jewelers, but that…

“You don’t need to tell anyone, student,” said Diocles clearly, hiding the phone in the chest. “And now it’s time to sleep,” and patting him on the shoulder in farewell, went to sleep in a small house, and Nearhh was still looking at the night sky. And only much later he was able to come down and fall asleep.

Then they usually fought, practicing cunning blows and exits, all from pankration. In the evening Kallifena came, and began to instruct him in the knowledge of hymns, read logograph lists of geography where the edge of the earth was, the boy was wondering, because he was the son of a navigator, did not know much of what she read to him. So his teaching was held day after day, he became much stronger, began to shoot better with a bow, although every Cretan archer, like the navigator, handled the sword quite well. At night, every time he drank a cup of infusion, but nothing has happened to him so far. Two months of intense training and exercises took place, and so one day, following in succession, as usual, Nearh was finishing his dinner at a stream of cheese, cakes, honey, dried grapes and a cup of infusion, it was time to go to sleep at home, to the cave, counting Already her home, he already wanted to sleep, stretched before going to bed a couple of times, and at the bushes on the path, saw a kingfisher sitting on the branches and looking at him attentively, a lizard rustled through the ground, circling around a dozen bees that were not humming angry, and did not try to sting him, with the sacred r Oors suddenly began to crawl after-hour, very thick fog, driving him to a cozy cave, and the adept hurried to take refuge in his shelter, where he felt quite comfortable on the straw, covered with a raincoat and a blanket, and quickly fell asleep. At first nothing dreamed of, but there was a heavy oblivion, then a white-marbled face flashed and an ashen scythe, and then a girlish figure appeared, very tall, much taller than Nearh and the face was covered with a hooded raincoat thrown over the body.

– Is that what you are called Nearh? – Immediately, without delay, the sleeping maid said, “Have you come to pass the tests?” she spoke to him in a deep, low voice. – And I was going to sleep here for seventy years! – she laughed merrily, so that in an emotional outburst she took the cloak over the floor, with difficulty breathing, continued,

Néarch also became cold, and could not move his hand or foot, as if he were icy.

– Oh, the mood immediately lifted.. You are intended to help the Chosen One, I must show you Top and Bottom, World of Gods, Tree of the World, Sacred Source. Come, take me by the hand, and do not let go, otherwise you will be lost, and I will not save. – said the maiden of dreams. Gather courage, with a stiff hand, the adept took Elicia’s right hand with his left hand, and the world spun before his eyes, this unimaginable feeling lasted for almost a minute, the young man would wake up, but it was impossible, and then, something implicit seemed to try to release his hand the envoy, immediately earned himself quite a divine headset, and I must say very weighty, and the maid whispered: “Don’t you dare, not only will you die, disappear without a trace” – Nearh opened his half-closed eyes, tried to look around. Under it was a stony ground, with some growing bushes, with pale flowers that smelled hardly, but very nice, everything was implicitly and indistinct around, as if thick with thick smoke, and this smoke did not dissipate. Several steps passed, and in front of them the immense table of a gigantic tree fell out of the mist, and only at a barely visible height could one guess in the haze of a branch covered with huge leaves. The sky was gray, everything was hidden by clouds, and the sun was not visible, there was also no wind at all. The place is uncomfortable, the young man thought, he looked back at the maiden, but he still didn’t see the face, only the blinding darkness under the hood. -We are at the place of choice, this is the World Tree. I live here, and Brother Ulls as well.

“It’s dark here,” Nearh said, “and where is he?”

– I will not answer your question.

“You are not ready, so you see it so far,” answered Elicia. -Look, here’s the creek and the well near the Tree. – she said these words.

And he saw the light, and the fog cleared, and he saw the most beautiful meadows covered with flowers, there was a wonderful scent of flowers in the air, butterflies fluttered, and sometimes they circled around the goddess, creating just a spiral of aerial flowers, the sky was dazzlingly blue, the sun shone, but There were two lionesses lying across the tree, looking attentively at the Cretan, and even further, previously taken just for boulders, griffins with golden manes and wings were sitting, sometimes opening their beak, but not announcing the surroundings with their legendary scream that kills all mortals. A golden chain twisted around the tree, one end of it reached the sky itself, where it was lost in the clouds, and the other descended to the ground, curled among the huge roots, roots, or rather tufts of roots, there were three, and looking below, he experienced an incomparable the horror – the Cretan saw the infinitely coiling rings of the Great Gray Worm, or the Serpent, or the Dragon, the Great Kronos Himself, or Python, whatever you call it, everything is one. It is through his rings that the souls of people slide into the realm of the Dead over the Ice Bridge. A source of water was knocked out of the ground next to the roots, and right there was a well, and Elicia called everything, so her words were imprinted in the memory, and they could not be forgotten, the maiden called him Urd, and the fact that this is a source of living water.

“I saw the Golden chain of Homer, as he wrote: “I did not touch the Golden chain, “said the young man with sadness in his voice,

“Do not be sad, sailor,” said the Virgin, “if I allowed you to touch her, you would have a different fate.”

– So it is a good place, my fields, beautiful meadows and flowers, can see the souls of those who did not do evil, and what the souls of those who did evil see here have you already seen- Wet Drizzle, good people see the Champs Elysees,

– So what am I angry? Nearh asked, and I will suffer forever without birds singing, the beauty of flowers and the blue sky?

– You are shown in part how my world looks, but you have not died, and you cannot be here, and you see it with my eyes through my will.

– Why can’t I see you in reality?

– It is impossible, I can be among people only when I will be embodied in human essence, or only in a dream, and seem to be chosen.

“What are you looking at my back there?” He would have sworn that she was laughing if darkness could laugh. – Are you looking for my wings under a raincoat? With the wings did not work, you excuse me, navigator.

– So you were born on Earth, like a man, madam?

– And not once. But I will not say the rest, I will prepare you for the trials. You will have to guess the three riddles that Kallifena will give you, and remember that cunning is not forbidden, and then you will be cleansed with the ichor wine,

– What is ichor?

– The blood of the gods, I’ll show you, suddenly a fiery dagger flashed in her hand from nowhere, and she ran them around her wrist, Nearh frowned at the expectation of someone else’s pain, the pain of a girl, but the darkness instead of Elicia’s face was impenetrable, and then, from under the knife flowed jet of clear liquid. The son of the archon could not take his eyes off the current drops, which flowed down to the ground in a narrow stream, and had already twitched to stop, not blood, but something else…

– You have no scars, Nearh? asked goddess.

“On her forearm,” and without a word, she put her wrist to his forearm, and the recent wound that ichor ran on her eyes turned pale and the scar disappeared completely, and then touched the palm of his shoulder.

– What are you frowning? Look more fun! It does not hurt me, although I will not hide it pleasantly when they are worried about you. This is a memory for me, you will remember that it was not quite a dream.