Time Jumps. The Paradigm of Immortality. Vladimir Baranchikov

morning, who promised to visit her house and feed the winged ones, so the feathered issue was already resolved, and there was only one thing left: to break through to the goal – an iron barrel.

      Half an hour later, as soon as it became possible, Daria asked a colleague to replace her for a minute behind the counter, and she rushed to the back room, Peter followed her. We went in, closed the door and began to look for the unit: thank God, on the spot! Their hearts were pounding with excitement. Daria looked hopefully at Peter, and he winked at her and abruptly slammed the lid of the barrel, but the long – awaited click did not follow – the time machine did not start… Thinking took only a few moments:

      – Dasha, batteries!

      – How much?

      – Six pieces!

      She quickly looked around the shelves, found a box with batteries, deftly took out the right package from it and gave it to Peter. Peter quickly replaced the old batteries with new ones. Before closing the lid, he looked back at Daria and asked:

      – Do you believe in miracles? – and, seeing the tense expectation in her eyes, he admonished her before slamming the lid: – Go ahead, my love!

      The inner lock clanged like a magic chord, and immediately a low vibrating sound began to press on the ears. Peter smiled encouragingly at his beloved, who was watching the mysterious device. Before her eyes, the iron barrel gradually melted into the air and disappeared, a small orange ball appeared instead, which began to grow rapidly and turned into the throne of the lord of space and a wanderer in time: a comfortable, large armchair with a hood and a wide stand with a screen. Daria ran up to Peter and hung on his neck for joy. Peter hugged her, then gently sat her down in a chair, and he settled down next to her.

      The opportunity to look into the mysterious tomorrow, to witness the upcoming events, certainly intrigued the girl, but the past centuries, the refined French aristocratic society attracted her more. An era of glory for France… Even in her youth, standing in front of a mirror, she dreamed of herself as Queen Margot or Lady Winter. She was able to evaluate the intelligence, beauty and influence in the society of these bright historical figures from books, and the outfits shown in the films, palace splendor and luxury completed the picture that beckoned like a magnet. But can she be blamed for this – many girls dream of the same! Peter looked questioningly at Daria, and she, encouraged by his gaze, reached for the “Past” button.

      – “Time” – July 15, 1663.

      – “Place” – France, Versailles, the palace of King Louis XIV.

      – A royal choice, – commented Peter: even in such a situation, he did not lose his sense of humor. After answering the questions, the travelers saw a warning highlighted in red on the screen:

      – “Attention! In order to avoid a dangerous situation, the return is activated at any moment of the journey by the command “I want to go back”…

      Daria shivered from nervous tension. Peter felt her condition and hugged her tightly by the shoulders. Suddenly, the door leading to the trading floor opened, and a lady administrator appeared on the threshold, attracted by a suspicious noise in the warehouse. When she saw the couple sitting in the chair, she only had time to ask:

      – What are you doing here?

      But they didn’t hear her anymore: time and space disappeared, absorbing them together with the mysterious apparatus.

      CHAPTER 7. VERSAILLES

      And here they are in Versailles, young, beautiful, dressed in luxurious fashion outfits. However, they are no longer Peter and Daria, but Count Petronel de Armand de Burlemont and Countess Dorian de Burlemont, representatives of the French nobility.

      – How’s that? – Peter asked with a victorious smile.

      – I don’t believe my eyes! – Daria exclaimed, beaming with childish delight.

      The Comte de Burlemont stopped at the statue of the great Gaius Julius Caesar, whose cult was highly appreciated by French art connoisseurs.

      – Suae quisque fortunae faber, – he recalled the saying of the great Caesar in Latin, and the Countess echoed it in the purest French:

      – Each blacksmith of his own destiny…

      It is hardly possible to describe the impressions of the Palace of Versailles. As soon as Countess Dorian crossed the threshold, her heart fluttered – the arrivals immediately found themselves in the thick of the events of the royal court.

      – Now I’m going to see what I’ve been dreaming about all my life! – she thought.

      Daria and Peter walked across the sparkling parquet floor across the hall.

      The King ‘s senior chamberlain announced:

      – Comte de Burlemont de Armand Petronel.

      She heard his voice:

      – We are happy to see you, Count, and admire the Countess, about whose beauty we have heard so much.

      – Have you heard? – Daria was surprised, not daring to utter these words or even show it, but clearly flattered by His Majesty’s compliment. Peter, on the contrary, perceived these words differently: a burning jealousy pricked his heart, and a vague, cold anxiety arose in his soul…

      The day after the reception in Versailles, Peter and Daria went for a walk in Paris. In the evening they went to the hotel, where they stayed for the night.

      – How are you, honey? So many events! It’s nice, it turns out, to be in the role of the nobility and receive the attention of the king himself!

      – I’m so stunned, I’m in an amazing fairy tale all day! Everything we have seen and heard today has deeply impressed my imagination. I feel elation, and at the same time, my beloved, I am tormented by forebodings.

      Daria told Peter: it was just as dangerous to refuse the monarch as to accept his courtship favorably. Those ladies who became favorites of Louis XIV were in danger of being poisoned by competitors.

      Peter thought about it, and then asked:

      – Are we able to resist this? – and he answered himself: – Alas, no! Let’s not give in to despair! In any case, we are not in danger today.

      – Shall we order a dinner worthy of an earl and rest from our misgivings? – Daria suggested.

      – Let’s leave it as it is for now. Isn’t that enough for today? – Peter repeated Daria’s words, spoken by her in that former world.

      Dasha appreciated the memory with dignity and smiled understandingly, throwing herself into the arms of her beloved. Secretly, sideways, she looked in the mirror by the huge bed in the boudoir: there were reflected two figures, female and male, similar to the actors from the movie about the three Musketeers, the treacherous Milady and the fearless D’Artagnan…

      The beautiful Burgundy wine turned their heads, and they forgot themselves after love on satin sheets. When fatigue set in, Peter quickly closed his eyes and passed out. He dreamed that he was arguing with Julius Caesar about power and democracy, and Daria tossed from side to side and could not fall asleep for a long time: even during intimacy with her beloved, she could not forget the king’s gaze and felt his presence next to her with horror.

      CHAPTER 8. COUNTESS DORIAN

      After a sleepless night and painful thoughts,