«Do you charm only animals?»
«People, unfortunately, I can not. Otherwise, my current situation would not be so bad,» he stated with sincere bitterness, obviously stuck on sympathy.
«Okay. Tomorrow closer to the night leave the castle and go towards the wasteland. You will get to the dissolution of the roads, try to get away from the cross and wait. Exactly at midnight I will send someone after you. You will immediately recognize my subjects. Don’t be afraid of anything, go for the conductor, even if it is a gnome or an elf, or a winged capricious lady. Their appearance should not confuse you, like their manner, otherwise you will not be able to take care of you among us.»
Harry’s eyes flashed with gratitude, but I made him a sign to keep silence.
«And it has been said too much, and here is someone else’s territory and other people’s spies.»
«Why don’t you want to take it all?» Harry was sincerely amazed.
«Because there is nothing here that I could envy,» I threw sharply before leaving Henry in the same loneliness. He had a hope now.
I decided that Harry would rule the living creatures in the basements of my theater. For a person, such work, of course, was not at all sugar, but if the minstrel would be able to charm of his music the rats, then it would be no harm from it. I called the main theater in my empire «Theater of Shadows», in memory of that I saw in the valley. Rats were found in the basements, not because I could not destroy them, but because I designed such a terrible army in case of any war. The army of rats could destroy any of the rather attractive cities of Henri or Odil. Then they didn’t want to fight with me. But in my absence, the future military forces did not want to behave comfortably. In addition to me, they did not obey anyone, and no one had a desire to mess with them. But Harry with his music would be able to lure them back into the basements every time they want to look for food in the wardrobe or in the hall of the theater.
In the forest I noticed a group of loggers, who were responsible for providing fuel to royal castle. A pretty attractive young page who understood well in the forest’s life, discouraged them to cut young trees, and pointed out the dried trunks, just suitable for the castle. He himself took the hatchet to help them. The clever boy was so beautiful that I was jealous of him himself. I tried to find out what his name was, but in his quite tangled thoughts I could read only one female name. In addition, the very thoughts were almost inaccessible. It seemed rather strange that he had in his memory only name of princess. I wanted to lure him into the thicket, and finish with another victim. I tried mentally to call him to me, but nothing has been achieved. Only at the third attempt, I succeeded. The page turned, obviously noticed my silhouette among the trees and obediently followed me into the forest.
«Wait!» called a woman’s voice. The page took off his beret, and a wave of long curls fell on his back.
«Rose!» this time I was, however, stunned. Of course, I knew that she had made a habit of walking around on the streets dressed as a page, but did not think that one day this masquerade will make such an impression even on me.
There was an owl behind me on the tree. The sound of its voice seemed ominous. Rose saw something over my shoulder, and her pupils were dilated from terror.
«I knew that this tree is cursed,» she said, pointing ahead.
There was just the one spreading elm tree under which I left torn carcasses of animals that have reported them to Odil, but now I did not feel the smell of blood. All shed blood for a long time absorbed in the ground here, and to the terrible memories suddenly mingled another frightening sound, the creak of dry branches and the friction of the rope, as if something heavy swinging above the ground. Hanged! I knew it even before I turned around and a dead man reminded me a rag doll. It was she. It was a woman in a red dress with a bruised skin.
«This is Janet – my maid,» Rose said. «The one that did not have a bad habit to check what makes Ms. at night.»
The owl sat on that same branch, which was attached to the rope.
«I hate that old elm,» said Rose.
«I hate it too,» I remembered that in this place I had killed a gamekeeper who served Odil. It was cruel, but then it seemed to me that in this way I would be able to remind her that the predator was near and she had to beware.
Rose raised her ax high and wanted to throw it into a bird, brazenly stared at us with its unusual perch.
«Why?» I asked.
«This owl has too a piercing look,» Rose reluctantly lowered the ax, but still tightly kept for it. «I never have seen owls with red eyes.»
«Have you seen bats?»
«The bats flew behind my carriage from Lara. They still accompany me there and everywhere, hide in the walls of niches, on dusty attics. They are vile creatures, but intelligent.»
«Don’t offend them,» I said. «They themselves are not looking pretty enough, but they appreciate beauty. Since they liked you so much, it means they will not give you offence.»
«I want to believe in it,» Rosa sighed heavily, moved away from me in a few steps and sat down on the stump. I knew that Odil was pretty cruel, but the fact that she executed the maid for such a small guilt, even for me turned out to be an unpleasant surprise.
«Tomorrow I will be sent off from the castle. I overheard one conversation,» Rose said. «I don `t like it.»
She talked to me, as with an old acquaintance or simply took everything that was happening for a dream. I leaned back to the stem of ash, crossed my hands on my chest and feverishly pondered. Could I invite her to my gloomy country. Then life there would probably become somewhat lighter.
The year I gave her on thought has not yet passed. For the year she could change her mind. I took out of the frozen hands of Rose an ax, went to an ominous oak, swung and made a small cut on a thick trunk.
«In memory of what we met here,» I explained to Rose.
I tried to smile, went to Rose and took her hand to kiss, but in this moment, a fluffy gray lump was disturbed from somewhere. The sharp claws slammed me down the cheek, and the bat rushed away. Not that bat, whom I sent.
«Everything is in order, you can go,» I pressed my palm to the cheek, so that Rose did not see how the bleeding wound heals itself.
«And you?» Rose turned on the go.
«I am a predator and I want to turn the head to this animal.»
Having waited when she left, I began to listen. Somewhere here there was a staircase leading under the ground. My gnomes would not work here, it was someone else. As if in response to my thoughts, I saw Henri. He seemed materialized from the emptiness.
«At least she could drop her scarf,» he said with a light reproach. «I never met such a cautious girl. Usually I can take from any at least an earring, but not from this.»
«What else did you start?» I just remembered that I still kept an ax in my hand.
Henry had not a helmet, although the rest of the body was covered with armor.
Do you like?» he grinned. «I decided that in this armor I would look more impressive.»
«Did you?» In my opinion, at least in the armor, at least in the cloak, at least in the costume of Harlequin Henri remained all the same restless fighter for his rights.
«Did you use even a spy?»
«The intelligence never hurts,» Henri nodded with the type of philosopher. «In addition, I decided to add to my own possessions an abandoned watchtower from the most borders and, imagine, no one tried