"And don't touch my servants! They complained about you today, that you're beating them! You don't give them any rest! Do you think you're a queen?"
Nikto translated. Asa answered something.
"She says she won't do it again," Nikto said.
Orel sat down tiredly.
"What kind of people are you that I always have to yell at you? These two ruined the whole room, broke expensive glasses, burned the carpets. Lis, by the way, at 'Backara' they complained about you, too, don't you let your hands loose."
"I just hit that whore once," Lis exclaimed. "And she ran to you to complain at once."
"Right. It's always not your fault! I don't allow you to take my slaves any more, only if I give you permission. Clear? What shit is happening to you?"
"Nothing's happening to us," Lis snapped. "It's something happening to you. You're mad and I know why."
"Lis," Tol whispered fearfully, "shut up, he'll kill you."
"I'm not going to kill anyone," Orel said tiredly. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll go shooting. Bey's people are everywhere and you're out of habit. That's all. Good night."
Orel got up and walked upstairs.
The others followed him.
Orel starts the invasion.
Without much trouble they manage to conquer several streets that belong to Black Bey.
Now Black Bey is in the same situation Orel has been in lately. His streets are occupied by a strong rival and the enemy isn't going to stop.
The southeastern part of the Lower City is in the black smoke of fires.
Traders and citizens become refuges leaving their houses. They settle in the territories of other owners bringing them a lot of profit. That is why no one is going to help Bey in his war against Orel. They think rightly that the weaker the rivals get in their war against each other, the easier it will be to do them away later.
Nikto wins his next fight at 'Coliseum'.
Chapter 22
Asa
The morning came. Orel lay relaxed in his luxurious bed with his eyes closed. He wasn't asleep, so he heard a soft knock on the door at once.
"Yes? Who's there? Come in," he turned onto his side tiredly and opened his eyes.
Nikto entered the room.
Seeing him stand in the doorway hesitantly, Orel sat up forgetting about sleep at once.
"You?!"
"Can I come in?" Nikto asked warily.
"Yes, of course… sure… come in," Orel started smoothening his disheveled hair hastily. "I'm sorry, I thought it was a servant. I didn't expect to see you," he began to explain.
Nikto smiled a little. "Did I disturb you?"
"No, no, don't leave! That is, come in, you don't disturb me at all."
Nikto walked in and stood with his back to the window.
"You used to came to my room frequently," he said. "Now you don't. So I decided to visit you myself."
"You've done the right thing! Sit down please!" Orel got up, pulled thick curtains over the window and turned to Nikto. "Is it better?"
Nikto smiled and nodded.
"Thank you," he sat down on the edge of the bed. "You don't talk to me at all lately. Are you tired of me?"
"How could you think so!" Orel exclaimed. He sat down in front of Nikto, with his feet on the bed. "I just… I always do stupid things," he lowered his eyes. "I've ruined everything."
"Don't say nonsense," Nikto laughed. "I forgot about it a long time ago! Didn't Lis tell you?"
"He did," Orel nodded, "but…" he stammered not knowing how to say that. "I didn't want to intrude," he exhaled. "I did a lot of wrong things anyway."
"And that's why you decided to ignore me. Right, Arel?"
"No, no, of course not! I just… I don't know," Orel stopped and looked at Nikto guiltily.
"Yesterday when I won a fight, everyone congratulated me, hugged me, was happy for me. And you were sitting angry, gloomy and didn't even smile," Nikto said bitterly. "At first I pushed you away out of foolishness. Now you're pushing me away. I didn't want relations like this," he paused. "But if I really bother you and you don't like me any more, tell me now. If you don't need me any more, I'll leave. Because I have nothing to do here without your friendship."
Orel got pale.
"Oh gods! How could you think that?" he squeezed his temples. "I distanced myself from you because I was afraid to hurt your feelings – but in the result I hurt you even more! I thought I was harassing you, especially after I said so many stupid things to you. Please, forgive me, yesterday I behaved like a real boor! I felt so miserable, I thought you didn't need me at all. I didn't even think it'd offend you. As always, I was thinking only of myself! Will you forgive me?"
"Don't beg me for forgiveness, I was to blame, too. I laughed at you, insulted you every time when you came to me with the best intentions. I was rude to you, I don't know why I did it. I like you very much," Nikto lowered his head, the last words sounded very quiet. "You were reacting at me in such a way…"
"I understand," Orel flushed. "You decided we couldn't have normal friendship, I acted as if obsessed. I'm so ashamed of it! If not for the paint, you'd see me blushing with shame. But I swear it won't happen again!"
Nikto raised his head, there were mischievous sparks in his eyes.
"I'm not sure about it," he said and touched Orel's leg. Orel shivered starting back.
"No, no! I swear to you! But you also shouldn't provoke me!" he pressed to the back of the bed.
"I'm sorry, I was really provoking you just now," Nikto smiled. "I'm very flattered that you like me so much. You like me indeed, don't you?"
"Yes," Orel answered. "But let's forget about it or we'll say some stupid things again."
"Fine. I agree," Nikto smiled.
Orel couldn't stand it and laughed. "Stop it, a smile doesn't suit you!"
"But I can't! I feel good and it just happens. I can wear my mask."
"No, don't! I can't stand it when you wear it, you remember."
"Fine. Do you know how the Unclean and commoners show their smile when their faces are covered with masks?"
"No!"
Nikto pressed his forefinger to the corner of his lips horizontally.
Orel smiled. "Nikto, I'm so grateful that you are here and talk to me!"
"Yes, we really have a talk: begging each other for forgiveness for the whole hour! I can imagine how it looks. Enriki would probably say: "If my sister heard it, she'd cry."
"I don't care what Enriki or anyone else would say," Orel continued. "I'm happy that we… we clarified everything. Have you come to talk to me about something concrete?"
"No, not at all. You know, at first I was irritated with your conversations about nothing. Or your questions. But now I understand I really like to talk to you. I like following your orders. I try to do everything you say. You ordered me not to wear my mask, and I was terribly annoyed. I thought my disfigured face amused you. But now I got used to it and I started enjoying it. I have the right to do that, just like others. Right?"
"You have the right to do whatever you want," Orel said. "Feel the freedom! Freedom is the main value. The main treasure! It is the most important thing for me." He looked at Nikto. "You probably don’t understand. You have never been free. You're a slave: of humans, of the Unclean, of 'black water', of your reconstructed body and all that shit I don't even want to know about. I'm so sorry."
"What do you mean 'all that shit'?"
"Magic, of course."
"Ooh! Only you could say something like that," Nikto laughed.
"Isn't it so? All right, let's talk about it for the last time but don't pout at me, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Didn't you lose your vision because of that damned magic – and you can't even speak but wheeze? Am I right?"
Nikto leaned against the back of the bed.
"I'm trying to restore, you know that."
"Yes, I know. Good luck!"
"Why are you angry?"
"Because it angers me to see what you've done to yourself! How could you touch your eyes? I want you to see the world as I see it! As any shitty commoner sees it – bright, multicolored, in all its splendor! Not white and grey as you see it. Why did you do that? I can't forgive you for it! What did you do? What did you do, Nikto? Sorry, I'm saying too much again. It was your choice, after all. I shouldn't talk to you like that."
"Say whatever you want."
"You know – for that, for spoiling your eyes – I'd knock you really hard on your grey head!"
"You'll have to bear with it," Nikto said raising his voice slightly. "I can't help you here. I see as I see and that's all. I'm not irritated with you for not seeing in the darkness, am I? You said 'the world in all its splendor'. But at night the world isn't any worse, believe me."
"No, I won't believe you," Orel said gloomily.
"You made your choice and I made mine. There's nothing to argue about," Nikto shrugged. "Forget it. Don't be a child."
"You're right, let's talk about something else if you're not bored yet. I think I could talk to you forever."
"Yeah," Nikto drawled. "It's great. But I think I won't manage. I'm not used to talking for long. If we talked in Unclean, it would be bearable. But Black is just killing me. I get tired of looking for words all the time. And my voice just can't handle it."
"I got used to your voice and your horrible accent," Orel smiled. "Remember the night we met for the first time, when we were breaking you? I was shocked with your appearance and your behavior, that's for sure. But at the same time I was hooked. You caused me such feelings I long forgot. The more I looked at you, at your hair, your face, the more…" Orel stopped in the middle of the phrase and turned away.
"Which didn't prevent you from breaking my nose and battering my insides," Nikto laughed.
"Forgive me, please! I don't remember that! Did I beat you so badly?"
"Yes, pretty much."
"Maybe it was not me who broke your nose? Maybe Lis did it? Or Tol?"
"No," Nikto shook his head. "Breaking noses is your privilege, as I see."
Orel laughed. "You're right. I never thought about it. Poor Squint-Eye." He took out a pack of cigarettes. "Let's smoke and forget about it, okay?"
Orel gave Nikto a cigarette.
"You have nice rings on your fingers. Especially this one," Orel pointed at one of them.
Nikto raised his hand examining the ring, then took it off.
"Can I give it to you as a sign of our friendship?" he looked at Orel questioningly.
"Nik! Thank you!" Orel took the ring happily and put it on his finger. "But it is a very generous gift, it costs insanely, I bet."
"Not more than your rings."
"Where did you get it? I think it's a family ring of some aristocratic clan." Orel brought the ring closer to his eyes examining crafty engravings around the dark-blue sapphire.
"So, where did you get it?" Orel raised his head smiling and looked at Nikto slyly. "Confess, confess!"
"I bought it."
"Don't lie. You wouldn't spend money for such a thing. Besides, family rings are not for sale."
"How are you so sure?"
"I am – and not 'how' but 'why'."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because I know that and I know such things aren't bought. They are cut off with fingers usually. Right, Nikto?"
"Are you going to give it back?"
"No, don't worry. I can imagine how much really valuable jewelry passed through your hands and you wasted it on drugs."
"The really valuable thing is your family ring. You have to be proud you wear it. You have the right to wear it."
Orel looked at his 'royal' ring.
"Perhaps you're right but it rather reminds me of the lost power of our family. It angers me and nothing else. What's the point of wearing the true royal sign of power if I'm not a king."
"You said something about freedom."
"Yes, right. Maybe I don't have everything I want but I'm free!"
"And your friends, why did you brand them? Don't they deserve freedom?"
"Oooh, it was a long time ago, I was younger and angrier. I enjoyed proving my authority. They had to accept that I alone could stay absolutely untouched. I had to break Lis and Enriki but I made them submit. They wanted to be with me but they didn't want to carry my brand. They wanted to be free, just like me. I had to crush them, brand them by force. It was easy with Squint-Eye and Tol."
"And what's going to be about me?" Nikto asked quietly and very seriously.
Orel leaned towards him but stopped, controlling himself.
"Nikto, I only dream of you to become mine. But how can I make you do anything you don't want yourself?"
"Fine, then your brand will be the best brand in my collection."
"Nik…" Orel stumbled in half a word; he reached his hand and touched Nikto's face. Nikto let him do it.
Orel gently passed his finger over the intricate letters on Nikto's cheekbones, repeating the lines. He raised his eyes.
"May I?"
Nikto barely nodded closing his eyes.
Orel gingerly touched his lips. Then, more boldly, he passed his fingers over two rings in Nikto's lower lip. He pulled one of the rings slightly; Nikto's lip followed it. Orel let go. He rearranged the ring turning it in the lip, then stroked Nikto's cheek with his palm – first his clean cheek then the scarred one. He repeated the lines of the tattoos with his finger again, several times; then gently patted Nikto's nostrils, touched a ring there, returned to Nikto's lips again. Nikto didn't move.
Orel slowly covered his face with his palms. He touched the scar but didn't take his hand away, just moved it a little. Orel's lips pressed to Nikto's lips very carefully.
Orel froze for a moment but continued when he felt no resistance. Closing his eyes, he kissed Nikto harder with trembling lips, pressed his mouth to Nikto's, sucking on it. Impulsively he squeezed Nikto's head twining his fingers through Nikto's white hair. He pushed his tongue into Nikto's mouth, pressing Nikto down with his body. Nikto slipped down on the bed under Orel's weight. And at this moment they heard insane shouts in the corridor. Tol broke into the room without knocking.
"Arel! Arel! Help me!" he screamed like crazy. His eyes were full of tears. He didn't even notice Orel and Nikto start back from each other.
"Tol! What happened, fuck you!" Orel yelled at him so angrily that Tol stopped wailing and looked at him in fear.
"Arel," he muttered, then looked at Nikto as if just realizing he was there. "Nikto! Arel! Help me!" he started crying.
"What is it?" now Orel was frightened, too.
"Asa! Asa!" Tol bellowed. "She's dying! She took my stimulators. Shot herself my stimulators while I was asleep! It's because we laughed at her. We said no matter how well she fought, she was a woman and not equal to us. She decided my stimulators would help her. But they are too strong for her. She's dying!"
"Fuck your mother!" Orel got up dressing quickly.
"Arel, Nikto, please save her!" Tol continued moaning. They ran out of the room and met Lis and Enriki in the corridor.
"What happened?" Lis asked. "Why is Tol yelling so?"
"Asa overdosed stimulators," Orel said quickly.
They entered Tol's room that was in a complete disorder. Asa lay on the floor in the middle of the room without any sign of life. Tol's medicines were scattered on the floor around her. Orel kicked them away.
"Why didn't you hide them, cretin?"
He bent over Asa, pressed his fingers to her neck.
"She is alive," he said to his friends. "So far."
Tol whined. "Help her? Help!"
"Lis, bring a doctor," Orel ordered. Lis left without a word.
"Arel, help!"
"Stop whining, Tol! It's your fault. She is yours and you didn't watch over her. How can I help you? You should've thought first. If she dies, you'll be to blame."
"If she survives, she'll be paralyzed," Enriki added.
"Shut up!" Tol yelled at him and turned to Nikto. "Nikto, help me, help me! You are my friend! You know how to treat half-bloods!"
Nikto knelt next to Asa and turned her onto her side.
"We need to pin her tongue," he said, "or she'd swallow it or bite it off when she starts jerking. I'll give her some of my medicines and she'll have convulsions. But she'll come out of stupor."
He rose and walked out of the room.
"Nikto will help me!" Tol moaned.
Orel took a napkin from the mirror table and found a big pin in a drawer he simply yanked out and overturned.
"Here, do what Nikto said," he gave Tol the pin and the napkin.
Tol started back.
"But I can't"
"Fuck you! Is she your wench or not?"
"Orel, please! I can't, I won't be able to! I never did it, maybe you can…"
"I won't," Orel said sharply.
"Enriki!" Tol looked at Enriki like a kicked dog.
Enriki took the pin quickly, opened Asa's mouth by force and without changing in face pierced the pin through her tongue.
Tol looked away.
Nikto returned; Enriki got up making place for him.
"Tol, hold her head or she'll beat out her brains," Nikto asked.
Tol, sobbing, knelt, put the girl's head on his lap and held it firmly.
"Will it help? Won't it finish her off?" Enriki asked.
"Shut up!" Tol shouted. "I trust Nikto!"
"Yes, it'll help," Nikto nodded. He injected the medicine he brought into Asa's vein. Then he pulled out the needle, waited for a while and injected another dose. He hadn't finished pushing blood mixed with the restorer back into her vein yet when a convulsion went over her whole body. She arched her back. Nikto barely had time to yank out the needle. Asa was shaking. Enriki sat down on her legs. She wheezed, she was shivering and trembling so hard that Tol could barely hold her head on his lap. Suddenly she screamed and started breaking free; her hands scratched the carpet breaking the fingernails.
Asa shrieked so loudly that Orel covered his ears. Enriki and Tol did their best holding her in place. She jerked for a few minutes, then went limp suddenly and trembled thinly. She opened her eyes. Nikto yanked out the pin from her chin freeing her tongue.
"Raise her," he said to Tol.
Tol quickly raised her holding her under her armpits. Asa puked onto her chest.
"Oh shit," Orel moaned.
Enriki got off her legs. She pulled her legs up, then got on her fours and started throwing up. After that she sat rocking like a drunk, looking at them with dim eyes. There was blood leaking from her mouth. She moaned and fell on her side, curled in a ball and shivered from time to time.
"That's it," Nikto said. "She's survived but she'll stay down for a long time."
Tol wiped his tears and leaned to her.
"Asa, my little Asa, what have you done? Forgive me, Asa," he patted her raven-black tousled hair.
"Yeah," Enriki said, "you can't jump over your head."
"She wanted to be cooler than everyone," Orel snorted, "what a fool she is, Tol! No normal person would use the stimulators you take."
"Don't say that," Tol whined, "she wanted us to be proud of her and admire her strength."
"She was worth of three men," Orel said. "Now she's worth nothing."
"She'll restore," Tol said, "I'll help her."
"Yes, help her but don't run screaming to us again: 'Arel! Nikto! Help her, save her!'" Orel mimicked Tol.
Enriki laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Tol yelled at him. "Asa is sick and you're laughing!"
"Let's go, let them get lovey-dovey alone. Tol, come down for breakfast."
"Fuck you," he snapped hugging Asa like a child.
They walked downstairs.
"Where is Squint-Eye?" Orel asked.
"He got full of beer yesterday and then took some drugs," Enriki said.
"Beer? Aaah, another idiot! She is injecting herself gods know what! And he uses restorers, then drinks beer. Takes every shit he finds. Good luck to them! I'd like to see how they're going to fight."
"I told him so," Enriki said darkly.
"Fine," Orel said angrily. "Fine. Beer and stimulators, that's cool!"
Enriki lit a cigarette.
"Squint-Eye is losing it," he said. "Arel, I mean it."
"We need to wake him up. Does he still hang around gods-know-where at night?"
"Yes, he's absent frequently, he comes back in the morning and locks his door."
Lis entered the hall.
"Orel, I've brought the doctor. Can you come up for a moment?"
Orel got up.
"Stay here until I come back. Shit, if I kill Asa, I'll have less headache." He followed Lis upstairs.
Enriki called for a servant and told him to wake up Squint-Eye.
"I'm afraid he's broken," Enriki said to Nikto. "Bert is just destroying himself and the most horrible thing is that he understands it but doesn't want to stop. Orel will ruin him, fucking prince! He'll never help! If you're all right, he is with you. If you have problems, if you're down – he'll help to bury you."
"You worry for Squint-Eye because he stands by you in a fight, right?"
"Yes. I'm not sure in my partner any more. He is unreliable."
"When there were four of you, you were paired with Orel. Now Orel is with me. Tol is always with Lis and you have Squint-Eye."
"Squint-Eye was the best. He fought in a pair with Orel for a long time. I was with Orel just for a short while. Orel risks, it's difficult with him. Do you know why he gets away with everything, why the king doesn't touch him now? Do you know? He hopes Orel gets killed in this senseless slaughter."
Nikto kept silent.
"The streets are in shambles, they aren't bringing any profit. Orel doesn't care, he likes to fight, nothing else!"
"Enriki, I don't know what to say…"
"You don't need to say anything. You're in such deep shit, Nik, you can't imagine. First of all, Arel, he'll fuck you to death and you won't be able to do anything, you depend on him. You need to push him away and you don't want to do it. And somehow you're right, if you stay alone, the king will get to you easily, you'll go somewhere where you can't harm anyone. Not to penal servitude, as before, but into a prison cell. There are a lot of people waiting for you in prison, do you know that?"
"Yes," Nikto breathed out.
"You're a traitor for the Unclean and a criminal for humans. How did you get into such a situation, Devil's son?"
"You call me Devil's son so contemptuously. A gentleman from the Upper City, you despise me, I understood it a long time ago, you don't need to demonstrate your attitude one more time. I already try not to come close to you, never touch you with a finger."
"And you're right! I'd rather not to have fingers at all than have such disgraceful black fingers like yours."
"I cannot flay myself alive to please you! But I do my best for us to be on good terms, you can't even imagine how hard I try!"
"And I'm trying to save you from prison. I lick officials' asses for you to sit here and not there. So stop pouting like a girl!"
Nikto didn't say anything, he turned away from Enriki and looked down.
Sleepy Squint-Eye walked down the stairs.
"Hello," he muttered and sat gloomily in his place, lowering his head and staring at the table.
Enriki and Nikto looked at him but didn't say anything.
Three of them sat silently and not looking at each other until Orel, Lis and Tol came back.
Tol was sad; he painted half of his face in black, the common sign of mourning for someone badly ill or dead.
"Tol," Enriki asked, "how is Asa?"
Tol raised his eyes. "Bad. She is puking all the time and the doctor doesn't really help her, I think."
"Tol, you're unfair," Lis said, "he is not a magician."
Tol looked at Nikto.
"Nik, please inject her your stuff. Talk to her, find out how she feels. She is saying something. I don't understand anything."
"Tol, I'll make an injection but about talking, you know she doesn't like me, I sold myself to humans, she thinks."
"Thank you, Nik! I'm so grateful to you!"
Nikto got up. "Orel, may I?"
"Yes but be quick," Orel waved his hand. "Squint-Eye, look at me. How's your nose? Ooh."
Nikto and Tol went back upstairs.
"She is puking," Enriki snorted. "Maybe she's pregnant. Tol likes to do that to his girlfriends."
"No-o," Orel disagreed. "Can't be. The doctor said she is worth nothing as a woman, she can't have children."
"Why?!"
"Too many stimulators a woman shouldn't take," Lis explained.
"She is a warrior, not a woman," Orel said.
"Then maybe she'll grow a dick soon," Enriki laughed. "If she keeps taking pills with the same speed, she will be fucking Tol, not he her."
Everyone laughed.
"The doctor said had we not brought her out of coma by the time he came, she'd have died," Orel continued. "By the way, he still can't understand how we did that."
"Nikto will explain him," Enriki laughed. "The poor doctor is going to go into coma himself."
"I think Tol will make him leave before letting Nik in. Maybe we should keep the doctor in the castle for a while. He'll have some more patients," Orel looked at Squint-Eye.
Squint-Eye didn't react at his words.
"Orel, it's useless," Lis said. "He'd never stay, not for any money. He is terribly afraid of us. Even now he is afraid Tol will kill him if Asa gets worse."
"It can happen," Orel shrugged. "I won't stop Tol."
Nikto and Tol came back to the hall.
"You're quick," Orel said.
Tol smiled. "Asa is such a bitch! As soon as Nikto gave her a shot and she got better, she cursed him all over."
Nikto laughed.
"Tol, it's all right."
"When she gets well, I'll teach her to respect you," Tol said. "You'll see."
"Yeah," Orel drawled. "But we still need a doctor."
Chapter 23
Dim Al
They rode up to the main entrance of 'Backara'. The servants bowed obsequiously and accepted their horses. Lis's new horse was still afraid of Nikto's stallion.
"Put it as far away from the Unclean as you can," Lis said to a servant.
"Yes, sir. I remember," the servant glanced at Nikto fearfully but Nikto didn't even look at him.
Pushing off his hood, Nikto jumped down from his beast and patted the stallion's muzzle gently with his gloved hand saying something affectionate in Unclean. The stallion leaned forward, pressing to his palm.
The friends laughed.
"Such sentiments! Nik, enough!"
Nikto turned to them, they couldn't see because of his mask whether he was angry or smiling.
"Do you want to pat him, too?"
"No-o-o!"
Everyone laughed again.
Leaving the horses to the servants they entered through the main entrance of 'Backara'.
Everyone but Nikto took off their masks.
"Prince Arel Chig himself!" Dim Al, the owner of 'Coliseum' in the Upper City rushed up to them. He gave his hand to Orel. "Glad to see you!"
"Hi there," Orel smiled and they shook hands.
"I heard of your success! It seems luck is turning towards you, prince!" Dim looked at Orel. "And you're with your warriors, as always. One is lame, another is squint-eyed, the third is red!"
Dim laughed at his joke; everyone joined his laughter but Squint-Eye.
"Not funny," he muttered darkly and walked into the restaurant without waiting for the others.
"Ooh! Arel! Forgive me, for gods' sake! I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings!" Dim was embarrassed.
"Don't mind him," Orel said, "it's okay."
"You just have a talent for finding people," Dim continued. "I'd like to gain them over to my side."
"You can try!"
Dim looked at Tol. "Hey, I don't like that! What happened to your cool girlfriend? I was keeping a place for her in my list!"
"Forget her," Orel said.
Tol's eyes darkened.
"I'm going in," he said, "it was nice to see you."
"Me too," Lis said shaking Dim's hand.
Enriki smiled to Dim.
"Nice to meet you. We're going, Arel, okay?"
"I'll be right there." Orel turned to Dim. "We'll come to visit in a few days, all right?"
"I'll be looking forward to it," Dim looked at Nikto. "Here is someone I'd like to see at my 'Coliseum' most of all. Mute, you are the best in the Lower City. You were great in your last fight. Arel, let him have some fights at my place. I really need him! I've been watching him for a long time. Though I've never seen his face."
Nikto pushed his mask up silently showing his face. Dim shrunk back, his smile fading at once. Nikto pushed the mask down and walked past him without saying a word. Orel kept standing there, unable to say a word.
Dim looked at him in perplexity.
"You know, Arel," he said very seriously at last. "If this… this man… if he is really faithful to you, I can only envy you."
Without looking at Orel Dim Al left 'Backara' quickly.
Orel slowly leaned against the wall throwing back his head. He passed his trembling hands over his face, closed his eyes.
"Nik, Nik, Nik," he whispered barely audibly.
A company of idlers came out of the restaurant but got quiet when seeing him, pale, leaning against the wall.
"Are you unwell, sir?" one of the men asked cautiously.
"What?" Orel tossed his head back looking at him dumbly.
"Do you feel bad?"
Orel smiled.
"No… No!" he repeated loud and laughed adding. "I feel good!"
The company recoiled in horror and quickly left. Orel continued laughing.
"I feel good," he whispered, "oh how good I feel!"
He slowly slipped down against the wall, squeezed his head, still shivering. The clients of 'Backara' tried to pass him as quickly as possible. At last he got up, smoothened his hair and walked in.
Orel came up to the table where his friends waited for him.
"I ordered dinner," Tol said.
"Fine," Orel nodded.
Enriki got up letting him in. Orel sat down in his place and looked at all of them. They were sitting around the table, in the order he'd chosen for them once. Enriki next to him – self-assured, dignified, clad more expensively than the others. His face was calm and beautiful, free of any scars or paint. His hair combed back showed his high forehead, his ears and fingers were decorated with gold. Then Lis – his long dark-red hair spilled over his shoulders. The stare of his piercing eyes was burning but with cold, not with heat.
Sitting in front of Lis, Bert Squint-Eye was dressed worse than the others. His jacket was old and worn out, its lacing torn and tied in knots carelessly. Squint-Eye's hair was coal-black but there was something very attractive about him. Enticing, bewitchingly dark beauty only a well honed and lethally dangerous blade could have.
Then a bumpkin Tol, rough but incredibly charming.
And right in front of Orel – Nik, the only one in a tight back mask covering his face completely. Only his eyes glittered merrily through the slits, not covered with black glass tonight.
"What's wrong with you, Arel?" Tol asked in surprise.
"Nothing," Orel shook his head. "It's nothing. I just… I just love you all so much!"
Everyone laughed happily.
"Ooh, Arel, thank you! We love you too!"
He looked at Nikto, looked in his grey eyes. Nikto slowly pressed his forefinger horizontally to the corner of his lips hidden under the mask. Now Orel knew it meant a smile.