The Mist and the Lightning. Part 14. Ви Корс

don’t you want to build your own theater? You don't play at Dony’s Theater anymore.”

      “No,” Lila shook her head, “and there is no Theater.”

      “How is Dony doing? She got married and abandoned her theater? Yes?”

      Lila’s face stretched out, she turned pale, and Karina froze, feeling bad.

      “You don’t know?” Lila asked.

      “No.”

      “They said lady Dony died in childbirth. I don't know the details…”

      Karina felt cold inside: “You are the third in my memory, and everyone wants the same thing.” And they die! It wasn't long after that conversation with Nikto at the Estate, and Karina married Lis. She is the third! No!

      The cell in the prison dungeon, and Nikto sits in front of Karina on the dirty straw, chained to the wall.

      .“Yes. Yes! It's my fault that he became so evil!”

      “You’d better have killed him then?”

      “No, no, no!”

      “Then what do you want?”

      “You ask as if you were fulfilling wishes!”

      “But what if it so? You know how the unclean say: “Do not want much, otherwise you won’t have enoughstrength to pay!”

      “And people say: “Be careful in your desires, because they can be fulfilled!”

      “Right!”

      “But my desire was to become a queen! Gods! I married Lis, but I wanted to be queen! I'm not the queen yet. So I will live on!”

      “Karina, you will help me to deal with your water supply,” Lila interrupted her thoughts, “I want to do ablution.”

      “Lila, wash your pussy,” Tol laughed.

      Karina got up and led Lila into the bathroom, her thoughts were now far from here, inside was shaking from the patterns that had opened to her, and Karina was scared. “Lis will kill me, he will kill me sooner or later. Nik asked him to file his teeth again, he will bite my neck like he did then!” Karina involuntarily grabbed the scars on her neck with her hand.

      “Karina,” Lila stood next to her and gently and gently pulled her forearm, “Karina?”

      “Here you twist, and water will flow. But now there is only cold water.”

      “Yes, wait…”

      Lila began to rummage in her small, beaded purse, handed Karina a small faceted bottle of dark green glass:

      “Here. Take it.”

      “What is it? Perfume?”

      “No,” and Lila looked seriously at Karina, “it's a sleeping remedy. Very good… tasteless and odorless. When Tol gets very drunk and starts to brawl, he cannot be laid down. A couple of drops of this remedy and he falls asleep calmly.”

      “Thank you,” said Karina and took the bottle.

      Half an hour later, she poured at least a third of the bottle into a jug of wine. Lis, Lila and Tol, in picturesque poses, passed out on the bed.

      Barefoot, in a dress on a naked body, covered with a cape for disguise, Karina ran along the dark corridors of the tower to the left side of the Fort, where the unclean were. Where Nija was.

      She was very drunk, and this state gave her courage and swept aside all sound thoughts and fears. She had a poor idea of the further development of events and didn’t think about it. Karina wanted to see him, nothing else mattered. And yet she was very frightened and even screamed, sobering up for a minute, when from around the corner and the unlit hole of the arch someone bumped into her, grabbing and pressing her against the wall.

      “Hush, it's me,” said Nija, and they threw themselves into each other's arms, kissing greedily, as if trying to make up for the lost time during all these days of separation. For a long time they couldn’t break the kiss, Karina hugged him and stroked him, clung to his long dreadlocks with her fingers. Finally Nija easily grabbed her in his arms, she grabbed his neck, hugging. Nija brought her to his room and sat her on the bed. Candles were burning there, and in the lighted room, they finally looked at each other. He was still the same handsome, charming, with such a charming smile. He looked at her with slyness and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

      But he didn’t immediately knock her down on the bed, but he was looking at her, as if he couldn’t believe that this had happened, and she was there, in his room. A slave came to them, bowing, put on the table in front of Karina a plate with unclean sweets and a jug of wine. Karina noticed that the red-haired girl looked at her dress very carefully and clearly recognized it. Karina didn’t care, she didn’t understand what was happening. She took the candy in confusion. “Why doesn't he continue? Risking everything, did I come here to eat chocolates?” Karina sober up, and the courage left her: “We need to return. It was a stupid idea.” But as soon as she wanted to get up, Nija, as if having caught her thoughts, pounced on her, grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. He was very strong, they started kissing again, Karina felt demonic energy emanating from him, almost the same as coming from Nikto. Nija undressed her and, seeing the body, froze. His face changed, Karina was frightened by the way he clenched his teeth and fists, he literally shook. She grabbed him by the neck with both hands, drawing him to her again, throwing him over herself, not giving him any more opportunity to look. He gave in without saying anything and they continued.

      “It’s time for me to leave.”

      “I'll show you.”

      “No. What are you saying! I remember the way.”

      They couldn’t stop kissing, but Karina pulled herself away from him with an effort of will and ran back. Returning to her room, she was relieved to see that Lis, Tol and Lila were still sleeping peacefully on their bed. Karina lay down next to Lis, hugged him with all her love, burying her face in his slightly curly hair. In her crotch, she still felt the jolts: one, two, three, as if her heart were beating there.

      “I followed her,” Zanmar said. “She reached the room, and everyone is asleep there.”

      “I love her,” Nija said.

      “You are at great risk.”

      “She has “heard” me.”

      “I'm not surprised,” Zanmar replied, “because she is a slave to the White Lord and is used to us.”

      Nija looked at his friend very seriously:

      “I’ll steal her and take her to our world,” and he, in an unconscious gesture, rubbed his cheekbone, which had been branded earlier.

      16

      Destruction

      Great misfortunes are preceded by signs and omens that we try not to notice. It is better to give up the dilapidated house before it collapses completely. Castles in the air are destroyed at the first wind.

      Kors returned to his room. Even here, at the top of the tower, the noise of the celebration was heard.

      Nobody called him.

      Nobody came to him.

      And what should he do?

      Kors felt completely alone, and with some bitterness, he felt deceived and left in a stupid position. He was deprived of support and abandoned.

      Where the hell is Nikto?

      He doesn’t come for him and doesn’t call him.

      He doesn't need him!

      He is tired of it. He played with Kors, turned him inside out and threw him away.

      “I opened up to him, believed him, but he… He forgot about me! He didn’t give a shit. Probably he is getting stoned (as Alis says) now with his Arel and doesn’t even think