Amaranta-2. Captive of Elf’s King. Natalie Yacobson

hence it’s time to fly away!» Cannes was worried. «I do not want to hold the next millennium frozen in the block of ice.»

      «Maybe still not so bad.»

      «You can easily speak. You have an elf patron, and I have anyone.»

      «And what about me? Do you not live in my boudoir?»

      Amaranta wanted to console her, but Cannes have already bothered. As if the Firefly, she swayed in height and instantly lost in the labyrinth galleries and arches. Spark giggled over it. If the fairy was afraid of ice, then the spark feels himself as hero. After all, upon the occurrence of an ice horde, who, besides fiery elves, will be able to protect the county?

      Golden Shield

      In the beginning a hunter then a blacksmith brought an alarming rumors into the castle that strange mechanical beings crawl out of Rodolite. The peasants from the nearest villages planned to arrange a riot. Angus dismissed this news. The threat of war for the whole Ilion was much more considerable than the petty riot of farmers. A few knights is enough to disperse the rebels in the surrounding area. But the war is so easy not to win.

      Angus tormented the thought whether he could enlist in the future war the help of the king of elves. Dagda himself did not visit him yet, but sent his servants to make the tapestry as a gift to newlyweds. Now the creatures, called the Arahni, were crawling around the hall for feasts and worked on a bizarre machine brought by elves.

      The church, built by Finodirries, as a place for worships remained inactive. But the Finodirirries settled next to it and even built a wall so that none of the people would dare to go on their territory. What they did there, remained a mystery. It seems to be treated the fields. Once, passing by, instead of the seeded fields Angus saw only thickets of turf.

      For him it became a bad omen. After all, this is the temple where they were married with Amaranta. If it is the truth, then the wedding seems to be terminated.

      Their marriage gave a crack. Amaranta was constantly near, but the feeling was as if she was far away. What Angus did not ask her, everything received only mechanical answers. And Amaranta had very many fans. All his knights suddenly began to care for her alone, as if they had conspired.

      «Men like only empty-headed dolls,» laughed Spark on this topic.

      Angus did not think so. After all, the fiery elf determined very accurately. Amaranta has become similar to a mechanical doll. In her eyes there is no shadow of intelligence. She did everything, as if on whose will. Maybe some elves were guilty? Angus heard stories about people who physically remain in this world, although their consciousness is captive by elves. Only a physical shell sits at home.

      Could this come out and in the case of Amaranta? It will be necessary to ask Dagda when he will apply a visit again.

      Angus even tried to call him, pinning his blood to the peace agreement with elves. Instead of Dagda, a beautiful lady came in a wreath of golden leaves, which was called Ivein. She was accompanied by the page, or the younger brother named Ivor.

      As far as Angus understood after a brief dialogue, Ivein was the first lady at the court of Dagda. To discuss with her whether Amaranta was winned, Angus did not dare. In addition, Ivein tried to seduce him. To keep the temptation was extremely difficult. After Amaranta she was the most beautiful woman, which Angus saw in his life.

      Ivor looked at her attempt to flirt with a big condemnation. Golden leaves ranked in his hair, wings trembled in a short green cloak.

      «Dangerous black creatures are sitting in cages in your poultry house,» he noticed gloomily. «You would like to burn them, until they broke out.»

      Angus understood this as a hint. So, those monstrous birds, which once caught his grandfather, is to blame for Amaranta. Theobald also assured they tried to influence her when she walked around the birds. He was already warned that these creatures are very dangerous, and he left them from the vanity in the collection. All due to the fact that he was proud of his bird collection, the largest not only in Ilion, but also in all surrounding countries. Those black birds did not die almost a hundred years. To release them is a risk. It is better to burn them with their cages.

      «You could profitably sell them or exchanged, if you turn to her majesty Medea Shai, the queen of black fairies,» tactically advised Ivein. «At the same time, it can help in hostilities, if those are expected.»

      «It’s not necessary to contact her,» Ivor immediately said. «Her services are expensive than any benefit that she will give you.»

      «He is a joker,» smiled Ivein.

      Ivor showed a whole golden twisted tongue. Angus shuddered at the sight of it.

      «And where is she to find?«Angus was interested.

      «There are several ways,» Ivein has bent the fingers, crumpled gold leaves. «Send with a message someone who you would like to sacrifice, at the intersection of roads at midnight. Fill the bowler with the blood of your enemy, boil it on the fire and call her. The easiest way is to get up at night in front of the mirror, taking a large red gem and pronounce her name thirteen times. The stone will have to give her, barely she appears. Otherwise, she will take you yourself. In general, it is a risk to call her, but the risk is justified, because she is very powerful.

      «I will take into account!» Angus said. Probably, from the very beginning it was necessary to call an ally-woman from the magic world, not an ally-man. Ivein gave a good advice. – And Dagda will not be against the fact that I will call her?»

      «In no case! He does not know how to get rid of her society. You will not be in a burden. You have only one human life, but to endure the company of Medea Shai many centuries turned out to be very burdensome. Dagda will only be grateful that you distracted herit from him.»

      Ivein picked up the train, ringing golden leaves, and was already preparing to leave, but suddenly remembered something.

      «Oh yes! In no case do not meet Medea Shai with his wife, if you want to protect Amaranta from trouble. Medea Shai cannot tolerate beautiful mortal women.»

      Probably, therefore Dagda and did not lead her to our wedding, Angus thought. Ivein has already come out, right in the window. Ivor followed her. Angus would have been frightened that both guests would break up to death if the wings did not flush behind both of them.

      Arahni were making tapestry. Amaranta watched them, standing in the doorway of the Big Hall. They made tapestry as if from nothing. Where does the Golden Thread come from? The bizarre patterns are not finished tapestry in familiar places: the arch at the junction of worlds, the temple, built by Finodirries, forests, full elves, bridges from rainbow and a black tract, followed to the kingdom of Fairies. The last place Amaranta has not yet seen with her own eyes and hoped never to see. As Quentin said, if she once gets there, she will die by sophisticated methods of the queen of fairies. Therefore, it is better not to see.

      The tapestry, woven by fairies (even if they are spides, but still fairies) made an impression. It has not yet been completed, but it was already possible to determine that it shows not only earthly kingdoms, but all the lands of Tuati de Danan. Even the black tract of Medea Shai has been born in the lower left corner of the tapestry. Next to it, the pink thread portrayed a red stone, like Corundum. Wrapped with green forest threads alternated with silver and gold groves. Next to the tiny figures of people were embroidered large silhouettes of dragons, giants, goblins and trolls. Does all this evil dwells somewhere outside the county. Amaranta was looking for white silhouettes of ice elves at the tapestry, when in the hall came Thobald and Ambrose. They whispered about something. And it seemed to her what they would say right at her ear. The rumor suddenly aggravated.

      «The delegation of elves and fairies in the castle is too big,» Theobald insisted in a habit. «They behave very suspiciously. Why do we need some kind of tapestry from them?»

      «They just want to make a gift,»