Quest. The Drummer's Soul. All the parts. Complete collection. Nikolay Lakutin

was performed in order to weed out those who gave the corresponding result in tests by mistake, accident or inattention. But those who were rejected by Bartholomew were not taken back to orphanages. These children were simply eliminated in the simplest, relatively humane way. They were taken to a separate block where hungry, road-weary children were given lunch. An hour after lunch, the children fell asleep and never woke up. They did not feel any pain or discomfort, the poison contained in the food was created using ancient technologies, the knowledge of which was also hidden. Initially, it was created for the voluntary departure of a person from life, since the ancient culture of the founders of this world provided for the right of a person to physical death. Anyone could have done it at any time. Either a child or an old man. And no one interfered with the individual's decision, because people knew that physical life on Earth is only a small part of the entire journey of the human essence. This poison quickly entered the body, did not have any taste, combined with any food, and stopped the activity of all internal organs in a short time without any visible and sensual consequences. Twenty-four hours after taking this poison, the body began to glow with a bright white light. The concentration of light was saturated until the body was completely hidden in this light, after which the glow stopped, closing at a point and disappearing with the body. Therefore, there were no burials before the theft of this knowledge by the priests. With the concealment of this "homecoming" technology, there was a business like funeral procedures. It quickly gained momentum and firmly established itself among the powerful of this world. This dynamic has continued to this day throughout the world.

      Bartholomew, using this recipe, easily solved the problem of eliminating "defective" children. No one who saw the face of the master of the order could leave the community just like that. People who joined it either became devoted servants of the order and executors of the will of the Teacher-Abbot, or received their dose of the coveted powder.

      Gideon was brought to the order from an orphanage, just like Vahe, Tikhon entered training two years earlier, but he was no longer a child, he turned seventeen on the day he crossed the border of the special unit. All of them passed the second stage of verification, and entered the location of the occult community, where they actively developed their innate abilities, receiving dosed primordial knowledge of their ancestors. Even Bartholomew did not have complete information about the manuscripts hidden by the priesthood; he was far from being in the first ranks of those who were close to the first circle, the guardians of the power of knowledge. The structure that was created many thousands of years ago has grown throughout the Earth, and controlled all structures and processes. Bartholomew was one of the lower layers of this structure, so he had only limited access to the archive, but this knowledge was enough to stand alone against a small country. Bartholomew was feared by all his subordinates, but not because of the poison that was always with him. He had such an inner strength that every native of the community, having a special sensitivity, understood and was very well aware of what this person is capable of.

      In the entire history of the order, there were only a few attempts to terminate relations with it by adherents. But all of them ended dramatically. All, except one, who put the hope of salvation to the children elected to the orders. Tikhon became such a person. Before he left, he left a scar on the Abbot's face. Novices said that the human hand could not leave such a scar, that the imprint on Bartholomew's face was the punishment of the higher hierarchs who supervised everyone who set foot on the path of the power of knowledge. This, in turn, indicated that Tikhon had outgrown the Teacher. However, this was only talk.

      ***

      – How did you manage to get out of the clan? Gideon reasoned to himself, remembering the pioneer in this matter – Tikhon.

      The guy rented a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city. He could afford to rent a decent apartment and even a princely mansion, but preferred a modest lifestyle. His arrival in the city was due to the fact that with new knowledge, strength and honed skill to put an end to the Order of the Black Hand. And this step was only the beginning of his outlined mission.

      Gideon lay in the middle of the floor, comparing the facts of events during his stay in the order, preparing a plan to eliminate the Abbot-Bartholomew and regretted that his meeting with Tikhon never took place.

      A knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts.

      – Zoe? At home? Open it! I have a train in two hours, and I have a message for you…

      Gideon opened the door and saw an astonished girl standing on the threshold.

      "I'm sorry," she said slowly, " but who are you?"

      "You must be going to see Zoya Petrovna." the guy asked.

      "Yes, I'm Tanya, her niece, and you are…

      "I'm shooting here, Gideon.

      The guy nodded affably.

      – A… So she had rented out her place after all… Where is she now? Do you know how I can find her?

      – The hostess said that she needs to go somewhere for two weeks, promised to visit on arrival, to see how everything is here, and until then, the neighbors were told to keep an eye on. There they go, spies, – the guy with a share of humor nodded in the direction of the two grannies staring in their direction.

      The girl turned and giggled:

      – Yes, it's like a village. Every step of the way. And news travels instantly.

      "Did you have something to say?"

      – My mother gave me gifts for my sister, I came to the city on business, so I managed to stop by my aunt just now. But how am I now?..

      "Give me your packages, if you're not afraid," Gideon said kindly.

      "What's there to be afraid of?" "there are four jars of jam here." You can't eat them all, and even so, you can't take them back! And so the whole day with these banks dragged, already the shoulder falls off.

      "Come in, catch your breath for an hour, I'll put the tea on, it's not far from the station, you'll be there in thirty or forty minutes, so you have an hour to spare."

      The guy opened the door wider and made a welcoming gesture inviting you to enter.

      The girl curtsied, and without fear, not an ounce, slipped into the hut, relieved to throw the bag off her shoulder.

      "What did you say your name was?" Gideon?

      "Are we on the' you ' yet?" Nothing, I don't mind. That's right, that's my name.

      – Unusual name. Rare, I'd say.

      The girl did not hide her sympathy, moreover, she showed her interest in the guy in every possible way. Her facial expressions and gestures suggested that she would not mind spending this hour not drinking tea, but doing something more interesting.

      The unbuttoned top buttons of her blouse, the languid look, and the vulgar pose on the sofa were used.

      – I heard that girls from rural areas are easier to relate to the issue of intimacy, but I did not think that it all happens this way! – calmly replied the guy, engaged in the tea ceremony.

      "What's there to think about?" You try it! I'm not a very modest girl, it's true, but I think you won't regret it. You don't seem to be in a hurry either. We're adults, why all this preludes and talk about nothing around the Bush? I can see that you liked me, you are also very good, so why are we wasting time? Can we start now?

      The girl undid a few more buttons on her blouse, the section of her lush chest did not pass by the guy's eyes.

      "You're making sense, Victoria," the guy said, looking away and pouring out the tea that had been boiled before the girl arrived, as if on purpose.

      The seductress's face changed.

      – You probably didn't hear, my name is Tanya! "no," she said sternly. – And remember, girls are very sensitive to being called other people's names!

      The guy turned around, brought two cups of tea and put them on the table next to the girl who was watching his silence with disgust.

      Gideon sat down opposite her, smiled, and said:

      "You're very good, that's right, and I'm not talking about the