Dragon’s Empire – 3. Countess and Dragon. Natalie Yacobson

in the rage. «Take your picture and fly back to hell, where you came from. Surely, all these ballroom halls and statues were just an illusion. And in fact there is no castle, there is only a hell and there is the place for you, the fallen angel.»

      I calmly waited when Francesca will keep silence. When the rage of the countess became dangerous, I slightly removed her, but she swayed with this light touch and almost fell.

      «I’ll pick a portrait so that you could no longer touch it and thus call me out of my… hell,» before the last word, an expressive pause was made only because I didn’t dare to call my delicious castle as a hell. Then I boldly moved to the tower where the picture was kept, throwing on the move. «Perhaps I will return to pay.»

      Absolutely innocent offer Francesca interpreted in her own way. On the same night, she began to collect her things and told to prepare the crew, but I never bothered to check where she was going to go.

      Reaching my own castle, I did not decide to destroy the picture, but I didn’t want it to hang on the wall. Only after reliably hid it in the basement, and locked the door with the key, I unwittingly thought about Francesca. Was it worth to let her go. She knew now a strange unforgettable secret? And how long will her silence last?

      Hypocritical Francesca

      Hearing the noise in the estate, I decided that Selvin had a discussion with a lazy master. The first assumption did not justify itself. Near the ladder to the attic stood a viscount and a mant dressed in black. They argued about something. I managed to find out the excited voice of Vincent. He retained the hardly catchy emphasis – a reminder of that speech I heard on the streets of the native capital. No one, besides me, could not understand that clear dictations and some outdated words are just a tribute to the past.

      «I tell you, Edwin is my friend. He himself invited me to spend the night here, «Vincent urged, while his eyes were furious. A little more and he would clutch the interlocutor in the face.

      I watched him and barely kept laughter. Vincent always knew how to lie shamelessly, but this time he surpassed himself.

      «Ask him if you don’t believe, and I’ll wait here. Would I climb into the house against the will of my best friend? Did he not have the right to invite his friends?» shouted Vincent.

      And I was able to manage a fragile thoughtful contact with Vincent and uttered only one praise «Bravo!».

      He heard it and was amazed. He turned to me. Only I noticed that his hands nervously trembled.

      «All right, Selvin,» I said, after a long pause, for which I well managed to enjoy the confusion of Vincent. «It is indeed my old and very educated friend. We even learned the same science. I did not warn you about his presence because I was hoping that he was about to leave, but the visit suddenly pulled out, obviously, because of the fact that my „best friend“ again remained homeless.»

      «Oh, everything is clear,» Selvin extended disappointed, although in fact he did not understand anything. Vincent tried proudly straighten the shoulders, but immediately stuck under my gaze.

      «By the way, it is necessary to somehow justify what the homeless friend will live here,» as if by the way I put in and turned to Selvin, hoping that he would not consider me very cruel. «You could not help me find an inexpensive lackey livery for him so that he does not continue to confuse guests with his humble robe.»

      Vincent cheeks became almost purple. Selvin was clearly stunned, and I, cheerfully grinning, announced:

      «Sorry, Vincent, it was just a joke. I did not know that you do not like when I make fun on your own manner.»

      «You would follow him,» Selvin whispered when we stayed alone. «I found him when he slept on a couch in front of the attic window and muttered something in a dream, and there were some unclear silhouettes around him, but as soon as I lit a lantern, they all disappeared somewhere. I hope he is not a necromancer.

      «No, what are you?» I assured. «He just loves to pretend it, and he himself would even be afraid to touch the black books.»

      From where can Vincent achieve such stage of perfection, as experience and practice, he likes to do everything as soon as possible and makes mistakes.

      Vincent preferred to hide in his attic. He shook my hand as a sign of gratitude and whispered:

      «From the northern port, tomorrow morning swims off the ship called the „Song of the Wind“. The countess sails with the first passing wind. And then you will decide.»

      Why did he say that and immediately disappeared in the darkness of the attic staircase, as if fearing further inquiries. The flight of Francesca was not a surprise for me. There were series of warnings and threats, she was afraid of them. That’s just, I decided that she wanted to go to Viniena again, visit the bookshops, could even achieve an audience with the king and complaint him on the neighbor, who turned out to be a robber and a killer. I did not expect that she would decide to sail in the sea, maybe even cross the ocean and all this is just to be as far as possible from me. A lovely lady did not understand that if I wish, I can overcome any space lighter than the high speed ship.

      Just one phrase of Vincent was able to awaken a long-awaited beast in me. Now I have already regretted that I allowed the countess to leave. Surely, my all-knowing subjects also silently condemned this act, simply from respect and fear they did not mind. If Francesca was one of the students of the School of Witchcraft, for her it was advantageous to comply with the vows of silence and do not disclose the secrets of her fellows, then the road for her would be open. But she was not the owner of a dangerous, witchcraft gift. She was strange for sorcerers, and tried to become more informed than they. I myself did not notice that I had already dragged the cord of the raincoat and went out in a cold night, in search of some empty, where I can turn into a dragon and fly ton a ship, which will be sail at dawn. I didn’t even know what I was going to do, and how I would explain to Selvin my next long absence. He was so amazed by the fact that I found time for such long absences and I didn’t want to spend only half a day on the road to the royal residence. Dawn found me on the road. From the ground it was almost impossible to notice the one who rapidly flies across the sky. There were many ships, barks, boats, frigates and flagship galleys in the port. It was a whole forest from wooden masts.

      First of all, I was interested in high-speed sailing ships. Francesca most likely neglected trading ships. They were to slow. She needed a light and rapid ship to leave her native shores as soon as possible. I managed to notice the name of the ships, but I didn’t find the ship «The Song of the Wind». I had to fly further and overlook the marine space, an immense water surface, where it was difficult to find one small moving point. I overcame some more airspace and sank just below. The port has long remained behind and now I could watch the big, but changing caravel, which is easy and smoothly slid along the water. The nose of the vessel cut the ripple on the sea surface. The desired letters proudly glow on board. What an excellent target can be this fearless ship for the dragon flying over the sea. In the last second, I felt sorry to turn such a wonderful ship into wreckage. Because of one Francesca, its whole team did not deserve death. I turned out into a flexible sparkling snake, easily slid for the sail and dropped on a main deck already in my human appearance. The team engaged in their everyday work did not notice the new passenger, even when his boots were blindly hit on the deck board. An unpleasant impetus is the consequence of the jump, but I still stood on my feet. Francesca must be located in one of the best cabins and believed that now she is in complete safety.

      I covered eyelids and mentally imagined the whole ship. The screams of the sea-gulls dropped away in the distance, the birds did not want to be flown to the ship, on which the predator was present. In this case, the birds were more susceptible than people, they did not believe in legends, they just knew that it was not worth flying there, where was a stronger predator.

      It was necessary to look into the captain’s cabin.