The brazier blazed unevenly, but brightly. A bunch of some herbs fell there, the fire greedily licked them off for a moment, turning green. Next to the brazier lay a small open book, the pages covered in small handwriting, some complex symbols drawn in strange reddish-brown paint.“Amar ta si riam…” Larana said softly but clearly, coming up to the fire and quickly running her dagger over her open palm. - Ani ta ri!Her hands are trembling with excitement, making the cut deeper than she expected. The councilor's daughter winces in pain.Drops of blood fell on the coals, hissing at once. The flame roared, howled. The girl fell on her knees in front of him, listening to the indistinct rumble until she began to distinguish some words.-Who are you? asked an old creaky voice.Thrown into the heat. Larana did not fully believe that it would work, but it did! A pulse throbbed in his temples, and his hands went cold.“The one who needs revenge,” the girl replied, hoping that she would be hear

Taaldor. Royal PalaceThere was a polite knock on the door. Marisa instantly opened her eyes, waking up. The witch carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake the king. Ulgar slept on his stomach, his arms outstretched and taking up most of the huge bed.Marisa put on a light brocade robe and stepped into the adjacent room, gently closing the bedroom door.There a servant was waiting for her, holding an envelope of brown thick paper on a silver tray.-What happened? The witch wrapped her dressing gown tighter around her chest, hiding her nightgown.- A message for the king.-Let me. The king is still sleeping.The witch took the letter and looked at the servant. His face seemed familiar to her.- Endy? - the woman suddenly realized. - Didn't recognize you."No wonder," the man raised his head, looking at the witch back. “I didn’t think I would see the poor witch I found in Sharaam, very close to the throne of Taaldor.- Are you sorry? Marisa asked as she opened the message.Endy sigh

In the morning, Bery almost despaired. Barely waking up, Deya demanded to take her with him on a search. And no arguments that it is dangerous, and that it is generally better for a pregnant woman to stay at home and not worry so much, did not work on her. Almost got into a fight. Bery was in a hurry and angry, Deya stood her ground with iron confidence. Both were already on their nerves, and time was running out.- Okay, - Markat got angry. – Guardians!Two werewolves entered the room, guarding the chambers.- Go with the search party. Your task is to protect the mistress, not to step aside from her. Do not lower your gaze. Do you care about your heads?The men in black uniforms nodded in unison.“That’s great,” the man breathed out tiredly. “Deya, what are you doing to me?”The girl approached him, trustingly clung to him, rubbed her nose against his shoulder.- I should be there.-Good. Let's not waste time.The cabin that brought the search party to the city stopped much higher th

Trouble reigned in the streets of the city. People huddled in flocks, armed with sticks, spears and torches and shouting "Down with the witch!" and "For old Emberg!" attacked entire detachments of guards in black and silver uniforms. Some defeated others with varying degrees of success. Most often, the brawl quickly turned into an indiscriminate dump. In some places, especially desperate ones set fire to barns and warehouses. Their roofs were thatched, not tiled, and they caught fire almost instantly. Now black smoke rose from the buildings. Gray ash fell from above, like snow in the dark. Those who did not want to fight hid in the houses, firmly closing the shutters and barricading the doors. Together with the rebels, the marauders also woke up: several shops had already been looted.The battle, like a fire, spread to the castle. Several detachments of rebels staged a bloody massacre on the first floor, traitors were among their own: many of the guards were killed quickly and vilely,

Snow blizzards gave way to the pressure of warm sunny days. Under the hot rays, the snow melted rapidly, becoming wet and dense. The first clearings appeared, although where the shadow reigned, sparkling snowdrifts still breathed the cold of winter. Children were playing snowballs with might and main, snowballs fell on the walls of houses and melted there, spreading in streams.Outside the city, reindeer herds wandered into the field more and more often, moose came. They fought, and the crackling of horns reached the city walls. The ice melted off the coast and the merchants gleefully rubbed their hands, waiting to launch their ships into the water to trade with the magicians and the inhabitants of the islands.Dei's position became clear. The round belly was already difficult to hide. They made new dresses for her. Warm and spacious, with drawstrings under the bust. Deamara continued her studies with Atara, embroidering and sewing with Shali. Aznar and Bery again disappeared for days