The Mist and the Lightning. Part V. Ви Корс

them on your own. You don't want to fight anymore, and I don't know how to get you out!”

      “What if "black water"?”

      “Not! You’ll never get off her! You aren’t a Lis, you really have little willpower, you easily get into everything you embrace. You easily become addicted.A couple of glasses and you cannot stop, a couple of shots and you're ready for anything to get more. "Water" will ruin you in a couple of weeks!”

      “But why so?”

      “Because your brain is week!”

      “Help me! Find something if you really kind to me and don’t wish me anything bad as you say!”

      “I will not prick you again, otherwise you’ll never get out. Alcohol will be sufficient.”

      “I cannot anymore! I'm starting to puke. It’s the same with the food.”

      “Da-a-amn, mad, my knowledge is not enough for you, this is a degeneration, and I am almost powerless.”

      “But… but… do you still love me?’

      “O-o-oh, what are you thinking about?!”

      “Do you love?”– Arel whispered softly, and his voice trembled.

      Nikto leaned toward him, hugged him, lifting him from the floor, putting him on the bed like a toy, like a big doll.

      “Of course, I love you,” he said gently. “And I will fight for you! We will fight, right?”

      Arel nodded not too confidently.

      “Nik… Nik, if I become like her … Like my mother. If you don’t succeed,” – he swallowed, suddenly grabbing Nikto by the shoulders, glaring at him with crooked fingers.

      “Not me, but us, you must help yourself too,” – Niktocorrected him.

      “All right, if we don’t succeed, promise me… promise that you’ll kill me. I don’t want to live like her!”

      Nikto bowed his head, hugging him:

      “I promise!”

      He slowly knelt on the floor in front of Arel so that their faces were about the same level. He looked into those crazy and distressing brown eyes. He hugged Arel, pressing his face against his trembling chest with intermittent breathing. Arel clutched his shoulders harder.

      “I promise,” said Nikto. “Promise.”

      Arel greedily pressed his lips to the coveted flask, with foreigh strong tart-smelling liquid. It didn’t cause vomiting, it didn’t stir up thoughts, it gave tranquility, all-consuming tranquility bordering on complete indifference.

      “What a rough job!” Emba said, shaking her head andlooking at the crouching on the bed and sucking her flask, as if his mother's breast, Arel.

      “What if your mother and your sister saw this?! Did they teach you like that?” with indignation in her voice, she turned to Nikto, who was standing behind her. “They would burn with shame when they saw what you had done! I warned you! I said that people are fragile! Too fragile! You cannot do it this way!”

      “But he’s alive,” objected Nikto.

      “Rather, still alive! And I am surprised at this! I wonder why is he still alive! After such a clumsy job!” she was suddenly horrified by the hunch that dawned her. “Unless …” she shrank back from Nikto, as if from a stalemate. “Unless you did it on purpose!”

      Nikto turned away and did not answer, he went to the table, poured himself a glass of red wine and took a sip.

      “You … You were deliberately cruel to him!” Emba'sgaze darted over Arel's crooked body, and in that gaze flashed pity. “Poor biy,” she said softly, then turned back to Nikto. “If you did it intentionally, then why? Your cruelty is not justified!”

      Holding the glass in his hand, Nikto sat in a chair, still silently looking at Emba, his face expressed nothing, and his eyes remained empty.

      “This man submitted to you and was perfectly submissive and obedient from the very beginning. Did you doom him to such torments, just for your own pleasure? It was not necessary to break him, but you broke him! Why did you break him? What did you do with him? You are a monster!” She looked at Arelagain, he finally fell off her flask, gave a loud hiccup, raised her dull eyes to Emba. She laughed with a hissing laugh. “Do you like my medicine? Yes? You see how good I am, I don’t remember evil and offense,” and stretching out her hand, Emba patted Arel on the top of his matted hair, so carelessly, just like her dog, however, it’s collar had already been on Arela’s neck. “Poor kid. So cute,” she glanced at Niktoreproachfully. “You really exhausted him. As soon as the face is not cut into pieces. Just like your own,” and suddenly she stopped. “So what did you do with him?” and her voice has changed, has become icy.

      Nikto was silent.

      “What were you trying to get breaking an obedient slave? What?” She approached Nikto closely, looking into his eyes. Without taking his eyes off her terrible eyes, Nikto slowly put the glass back on the table. “So,what did you want from him?” She repeated. “Disobedience ?!”

      Nikto looked down and she laughed. As easy, as, for example, the boy- servant, hit him on the face with herhand. And Arel jumped up on the bed, he did not understand their language, but he saw their actions, and was ready to rush at her at any moment, to hold histeeth in her throat.

      But Nikto beat him. Having seized her hands, he forcefully threw Emba away from him. Falling, she hit the bed, hissed.

      “What a pity you weren't there, in the alley,” said Arel, looking down at her from the bed.

      “What is he saying,” she asked.

      “He regrets that he did not kill you in his time,” Niktoanswered, getting up from his chair.

      Emba laughed nervously.

      “Good boy! Oh, he would never think to harm you and spoil himself!”

      “Feed him”, ordered Nikto and took a step towards the bed.

      Emba recoiled.

      “No!”

      Very quickly, Nikto approached and yanked her up, hurled her at Arel.

      “No!” Emba screamed, fear now clearly visible on her face without expression before. She looked around nervously, and her gaze fell to the door.

      “Don't even try,” said Nikto.

      Emba rushed to the door. Nikto sharply threw forward his hand, trying to grab her? Emba was incredibly fast, lightning like a snake. She was halfway to the door when she fell, collapsed like a bag, clumsily entangled in a dress? Raising her head, she opened her mouth, closing her eyes, it was possible to decide that she would now scream with all her strength, scream wildly, loudly. But any sound came from her lips.

      “It’s useless to scream, Emba,” Nikto chuckled. “No matter how loud you scream, the “unclean” will not hear you here. This castle was built by literate people, and these walls are suppressed by the cries of people like you!’

      “So that's why you lured me here!” she darted around the room, clawing at the walls in desperation. Not letting Nikto go to her.

      “Your own curiosity lured you here! I just invited you to come, and if you can, to help me.”

      “I helped! I did everything that is necessary!”

      “This is not enough for me!”

      “Do