Dragon’s Empire – 1. Curse of the younger Prince. Natalie Yacobson

strands. Here he is a sample of royalty. Looking at him, I thought that the real monarch could not have a young face, as it turned out later, I was brutally mistaken. Wisdom and monstrous force can be covered with eternal beauty. And beauty, in turn, is only a cover for the villains of the dragon.

      The king raised his hand, calling present to silence, then with a composure, worthy of a admiration, began to ask questions. The answers were unnecessarily polite and excited. As far as I understood, the messenger was sent by one of the barons whose possessions bordered with the royal. There was in the forests of this feudal, a creature which the frightened messenger was used to denote by one word «death». And as it turned out later, this very death wanders in more often in the image of the wild boar, which helps the evil spirit.

      «Several peasants died,» the messenger continued. «And the rest are afraid to move away from their dwellings. After all, anyone can be the next victim.»

      «As far as I know, the Baron is one of the best hunters,» the king’s calm voice was heard. «Did he try to kill this creature?

      «Your Majesty, can I, simple mortal, join the fight with… them?» The messenger thought for a long time before he spoke the last word. Whom did he mean? Why was he afraid to talk about «them»? Does one wild boar can harm the possession of the rich feudal? Maybe all the trouble is in the superstition of the peasants and in the habit everything to dramatize. I used to treat everything calmer and rely on the fight against evil only on my own strength. Let others hope for conspiracies from evil forces and amulets, and only a living being, nor the Spirit, will be able to hurt me. Before death, it will take time to read a prayer, but for now I wanted to fight with a sword.

      «If the situation is exactly the case, then none of the knights will decide to help your unfortunate vassal,» the first minister said carefully, turning to the king.

      «I will decide,» I responded, boldly crossing the threshold. The messenger sighed with relief. Only Florian reacted to my statement skeptically.

      «How are you going to kill this wild boar? Keeping all your charm?» he asked coldly. He wanted to say something else, but he preferred to keep silent, as if decided not to disclose the secret.

      «Your highness, it would be better for you to stay at the court, because the ball is scheduled for tomorrow,» the first minister addressed me more diplomatically.

      «Yes, right, a great cavalier has to dance with ladies. He doesn’t wander on big roads,» one of the advisers supported him.

      Such a tone was hurt me. Does the royal sons in this country are considered only another decoration of ballroom halls, not knights?

      «Better stay at home,» Claude advised me.

      «And wait until the evil spirit also goes to our forests,» I grinned in response. – Do you think I am not enough to own such a weapon as a sword? In your opinion, I do not get courage and accuracy in shooting, gentlemen?:

      Such questions were a sick prick. After all, everyone was aware of my victories on numerous competitions and tournaments.

      «Your courage borders with the recklessness?» whispered to me Claude, so quietly so that no others heard. «Leave the astrologers be on their duty and to deal with the dark evil.»

      «Do you want to throw these people in trouble?» said I as quietly he. «If someone needs my help, then I can’t just turn away, like all these proud diplomats, which filled the hall of the Council.

      Claude wondered over my words. In the azure eyes flashed something like understanding and hopes.

      «You can die,» he warned.

      «Like every knight, going to fight,» I replied fearlessly and asked louder, turning to the king. «Will you let me go to the way immediately?»

      The king alone nodded with such a sorrowful expression of the face, as if he had given permission to my funeral.

      «With you will go six of my best knights and your brother,» the king threw such a piercing look at Claude that the protest words immediately froze on the mouth of the latter. I involuntarily thought that these two binds some kind of mystery that their decision did not depend on the fear of my life, but that one of the relatives should follow me all the time. But why?

      It was necessary to go to the path not to slow down until the king changed his decision. I returned to my chambers only to capture a fur cape. Winter was cold. In the fireplaces of the castle, the day and night flared fire, and snowflakes were spinning outside the windows. On the stairs, I ran into a court astrologer. His long fingers clung to my sleeve. Evil black eyes with red streaks studied my face as if trying to find footprints on it. The astrologer released me and slowly went up the stairs.

      «Edwin, are you going or staying?» I heard the displeased voice of Claude. He was already going on the road. Several knights from those who are afraid of only the royal wrath, and not demons, were on the horses in the courtyard of the castle. The groom brought from the stables the horses for me and Claude. We had a long way to go. Soon the gate of the castle with noise slammed behind us. The messenger rushed ahead, pointing to us the road through a snowy forest.

      Each of us prepared to meet with danger. We have already crossed the line of royal possessions. The forest around became gloomy, landscapes with incentive, and heaven was dragged with gray clouds. So soon snowfall will begin. There was no twittering of birds, there was no coarse red squirrels who flooded the surrounding forests. It seemed to me that the nature was extinct, and dry spiny trees were only a temporary housing for spirits, united in the coronal trunks. Magic can both disagree in nature and transform it, tales guided us. This forest was turned into a sullen earthly evil. As soon as we drove into the thicket, as I felt an insurmountable fear, as if someone squeezed my heart with an ice hand. Surely, each of my accomplices felt the same thing, but no one dared to confess to another that the atmosphere of the forest was oppressed.

      «Soon we will reach the meadow, there the wild boar will hunt every night,» the messenger said. «We need to get there before sunset and surround the meadow.»

      «So, this wild boar hunts only at night?» I asked.

      «He came from his lair as soon as the sun comes,» the messenger nodded.

      «Where is the lair?» I asked.

      «Nobody knows. Most likely, not far from the gorge. But it is unlikely that you will find nearby at least one bold-sprit, which will dare to go there.»

      «Must be, Goblins settled there,» I joked and wanted to laugh, but suddenly very close, over our heads there was all the same annoying knock, as if the woodpecker would beat the drum fraction on the tree trunk.

      I raised my head, but did not see the birds, only some tiny creature, only distantly similar to the child in the scarlet velvet cape settled on the top of the oak.

      «Rather, look upstairs,» I asked Claude.

      He also looked at the tree, but no one was sitting on a bitch. Didn’t it seem to me? I must have spent too much time in the saddle and I am very tired.

      «What is the tree so much different from others?» Claude was surprised.

      «It seemed to me that I saw a thrush there.»

      «You have never seen a thrush before or wanted to put one of them into a cage. Forgive, but I am afraid that we will not be allowed to bring anyone more canary.»

      Hung away from the tree, Claude decided to refer to the messenger.

      The messenger on horseback ahead of us disappeared in an unknown direction, the road ahead was empty. Dust did not flow over the earth, it means that no one was joined by a gallop on it. I looked around to look at our knights, but there was no more of them next to us. If they decided to turn back, the forest would now be shocking from the knock of horses’ hoofs, but there was silence around. Could our knights fail through the Earth, but as otherwise they can explain