The Mist and the Lightning. Part I. Ви Корс

it myself." Orel spread his arms.

      "Are you mad? He said it yesterday himself, literally: my mother is a witch, my father is a devil!" Lis hissed at him.

      "He didn't say his father was a devil… literally," Orel muttered in annoyance.

      "What are you trying to achieve? Orel, think who you want to have business with!"

      "Do you mean 'who you want to have'!" Orel shouted.

      "You said that, not me," Lis said.

      "Tol is on my side. Tol isn't afraid of him."

      "Tol is an idiot," Lis said.

      "Tol wouldn't like you saying that," Enriki interfered.

      "And I shit care if he wouldn't! Everything's going to hell and I don't care what Tol likes or not," Lis raised his voice.

      "You're panicking because of nothing."

      "Yes. Sure."

      "What can he do to us?" Orel leaned over the table to Lis. "Kill us and start living in my castle? Take away our streets? It's ridiculous, Lis."

      "He can take away you power."

      "Oh really? And become a prince? Prince Nobody! I don't have so much power to tempt anyone to take it."

      "We will become his puppets. And you have already become one."

      "So far he's obeying me."

      "Such hubris! He's a wolf in a sheep's skin. Yes, that's true, he pretends to be a misfortunate cripple but his eyes give him away. His cold calculating stare. In his heart he's laughing at us. He's so confident that he doesn't even mind me, my digs only amuse him, I feel that!"

      "Lis, you've lost your mind," Orel said slowly; he looked at Lis in surprise and with some sympathy.

      "Don't look at me like that, Arel, do you hear me?"

      "Sit down," Orel snapped. Lis obeyed hugging his head.

      "Oh gods, what's going to happen to us!"

      "Why do you keep silent, Enriki?"

      "I don't know, Arel. I don't think Nikto wants your castle. I'm more concerned with your intentions. Arel, forget your plans."

      "But I fell in love with him! I need him, I want him, want him every minute! The more I look at him, the more I want him!"

      "So, who's losing his mind?" Lis said skeptically.

      "Orel, leave everything as is, let him stay with us. But for gods' sake, don't touch him – I'm afraid for you," Enriki said.

      "Easier said than done! I can't. I want to touch his hair. I can't stand it any more!"

      "You're a pervert," Lis winced, "thinking with your ass, not with your head. But if you get together with him, you won't break away from him easily. He's not Toby who was your toy and then you dropped him. Nikto is different – do you understand you want to fuck the son of the Devil? It's the worst thing one can come up with."

      "It excites me even more."

      "Orel, I beg you, stop," Enriki moaned. "What do you like about him? His hair? He's probably never combed it. It's dirty and twisted. And his hands – fingers black with tattoos! And what about his face – one has to be totally crazy to tattoo his face!"

      "Orel doesn't see it," Lis interrupted. "He's got into a trap. I bet you even like his tattoos. He looks like a painted jug but it arouses you, doesn't it?"

      "No," Orel snapped. "Enough. Lis, you belong to me and you know you can't just leave me: either you obey me or one of us dies. Do you want that?"

      "I won't fight you," Lis said. "You'll kill me and I want to keep living to see how it ends. I obey your will. Cherish your cripple."

      "Don't call him a cripple!"

      "Your wish is my command, my lord."

      "I order you to become his friend as soon as possible, do you hear?"

      "Yes, my lord."

      "Right. Enriki, I'm talking to you, too."

      Enriki bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

      "Uugh, I'm so hungry!" Tol tumbled into the hall loudly and stopped, looking at everyone in surprise. "Are you praying or what? Ooh, buns for breakfast…" He froze catching Orel's burning stare. "All right, all right, I'm not saying a word."

      "By the way," he said a little later when noticing that Orel had calmed down, "where is Nikto? Doesn't he have breakfast with us?"

      "I sent a servant to bring him half an hour ago," Orel said. He rang the bell.

      "Did you wake up the master?" he asked a shaking servant.

      "Yes."

      "What did he say?"

      "He said," the servant started shaking even more, "…'go to hell!' I was afraid and left. I'm very afraid of him." The servant sobbed and fell onto his knees. "I thought he'd kill me! He looked at me – like I wasn't there – and said: 'Go to hell!' and my legs seemed to carry me to the door by themselves," the servant cried.

      "All right, you idiot, you can go. I'll wake him up myself," Orel said.

      "Yeah, you try," Tol winked at him.

      Orel walked up the stairs and quietly entered the room that had been offered to Nikto yesterday. It was one of the best rooms in the castle.

      A splendid bed with a canopy was located on the dais near the wall. The floor was covered with expensive furs. They were littered with Nikto's weapons, his clothes and bag.

      Orel approached soundlessly.

      Nikto lay in bed on his side, covered with a fur layer up to his waist. He was asleep. Orel stopped and looked at him. Nikto didn't move. Orel smiled and slowly reached to his belt. Carefully, he took out his knife without taking his gaze away from the sleeping man. He raised the knife aiming at Nikto's closed eye. His muscles were taut, he was ready for Nikto to wake up any moment. But Nikto kept breathing evenly and Orel relaxed his hand, lowered it slowly, nearly touching Nikto's eye with the tip of the knife.

      "Bingo," he said quietly, then took the knife away. "Lis is just an idiot."

      Something crunched under his boot and he jumped back, frightened. Looking down he saw it was just one of the pills that fell out of Nikto's carelessly tossed bag. He picked up a few smooth white capsules.

      "What could it be?" He dropped them back on the floor. "Hey, Nikto, wake up!"

      Nikto stirred, opened his eyes slowly. He looked at Orel as if he was seeing him for the first time in his life. Orel felt uneasy.

      "Hey, come round," he said apprehensively.

      "Aah," Nikto drawled. "Prince Arel Chig." He turned to his back, stretched his arms, then covered his face with his palms. "All right, all right, I'm getting up." He took his hands away from his face. "Shit, it's too light here!"

      Orel watched him silently.

      Nikto sat up in bed shaking his shaggy head. He raised his face looking straight ahead of him with a strange, empty look.

      Orel who stood at the side backed away in fear.

      "Nikto, stop fooling around," he said.

      Nikto turned to him looking through him.

      "Orel," he said, "leave now, please. I'm coming down in a moment."

      Orel recoiled, then left the room. He walked down to his friends.

      "What happened?" A chorus of questions met him.

      "Nothing." Orel managed to regain control.

      "You look even worse than the servant did!"

      "I said everything's all right. Tol, pour me some coffee," he ordered in annoyance.

      Gulping his coffee, he looked at Lis.

      "Lis," he said quietly, "I could've killed him ten times right now, do you hear me? Ten times! And I'll spit at your face if you say he was giving in to me on purpose."

      "Is it true?"

      "Yes!"

      "I