If one followed the patterns of claw scratches on the fallen foliage, symbols were also noticeable. Even a pair of pure emeralds glinting beneath the leaves didn’t distract me from the intricate lines. It seemed like a second more and blood would run down them.
I didn’t cover my eyelids for a moment, nor did I dream of anything, but it seemed to me that the leaves had turned red with blood.
That’s a bad sign! I probably shouldn’t get into a fight with an unfamiliar dragon right away. If I hurt him, would his blood be so poisonous that a single drop of it on the ground would poison the whole neighborhood? Or maybe I’d regret attacking it when it turned into something that was unexpected.
I stare at the patterned leaves and see myself bullying another man’s dragon to death, and as it falls to the ground, it turns into a bloody girl – a Rose! And it hurts me, even though it’s just a fantasy.
I shook my head stubbornly, trying to shake off the obsession like dew from my locks. It turned out that while I’d been walking, my hair strands had gotten as wet as raindrops. It was all about the magic of this forest. It wasn’t raining, but the dew protruded abundantly on the lush crowns of the trees, sometimes turning into small crystals.
It was beautiful and lonely, like a desert. For some reason, all the magical creatures rarely come here. There were disembodied whispers in the foliage. It was some kind of love declarations and requests to stay here forever, away from everyone. I was beginning to like being all alone. Suddenly a claw reached for a pile of maple leaves, but instead of picking them off, it began to draw patterns.
It’s like I woke up from a dream. The troublemaker is here. I have to be vigilant. Too bad the claws disappeared as fast as they came. The trees here have such lush crowns. They’re so easy to hide behind.
There was something alluring, otherworldly about the natural atmosphere. I’d heard of the ladies of the forests and groves. They were fairies who considered themselves mistresses of the forest in which they settled. Or it could be a glade, or a lake, or a pond. Any place in the open countryside. Ssometimes it could be a ruin partially overgrown with moss. I met such a Lady of Ruins once, and even got to talking to her. I bought her some magical wine, and we became friends. But should I be friends with a fairy who considers herself the mistress of my forest or should I just let her know that I am the master here?
By the way, I couldn’t see the fairy or even feel her presence nearby, but I felt the heat of smoldering coals in a furnace. Another dragon seemed to be nearby. I looked around. Was it flying over the forest now? There’s no one visible between the treetops, not even songbirds. I felt like I was stepping into the dragon’s mouth, like a magic furnace.
I’ve never felt like this before. I felt dizzy. It was suddenly unbearably hot. I’ve never been uncomfortable around fire. I could climb into a burning fireplace and it wouldn’t do me any good. He who’s all fire inside doesn’t burn. I am a dragon, after all. No other dragon can intimidate me, even if he’s a powerful wizard. And this place smelled like magic. I could feel someone else’s power and authority. The forest was green and fragrant, and the feeling that I was walking into a fire grew stronger. The alien fire was close. I couldn’t see it, but it seemed as if I could just stretch out my hand and touch it.
The obsession vanished as soon as I heard the squeak of a tit. Someone’s slender fingers had caught it firmly, but why? It was hard to distinguish the hem of a green dress with a golden border from the spring greenery. It was only because of the fringe that I could see the lush skirt, which looked something like an outfit made of leaves. The cape over it was also green and also trimmed with a golden border.
Was I imagining things, or was there a slender, graceful lady walking through the forest? I called out to her. No one answered me. But I saw her at the pine tree. And now I could see only a sign on the trunk, drawn with something red-hot. The ash had crumbled on the bark where it had been burned. I could clearly visualize a red-hot claw drawing that symbol, and the tree groaned. But what does that have to do with the girl? She’s hardly clawed. At any rate, I saw a very graceful figure. It was definitely a lady, and most definitely not a fairy. Could some noblewoman have wandered into magical territory by accident or in search of adventure? Yes, she could, if some mischievous supernatural being had deliberately pointed her way here, into the claws of the dragon. My fairies often liked to have fun that way, luring their earthly rivals into dangerous places and setting magical traps for them. We need to find the girl before something happens to her here. She flickered here and there as if dancing behind the trees. That’s the way people behave when they’re spellbound by fairies.
Her dance seemed to repeat a chain of magical signs. Who was she? For a minute or two, I actually had the urge to attack her. I didn’t know why. But I remembered how cleverly flocks of fairies on the streets at night begin to call to themselves the dressed-up daughters of merchants or burgomasters. Those naively come to dance in their circle, succumb to sweet entreaties, taste magic fruits, and then voluntarily go to the edge of the cliff or to the abyss, where the monster lives. It’s a shame to admit it, but my subjects often behave with extreme cruelty. And I am no better. But occasionally, a gentleman awakens in me. This was one of those rare occasions, and I followed a stranger with the intention of saving her.
She hid in the thicket for a short time and suddenly ran out onto the path ahead of me. Her green outfit with gold trim was indeed luxurious, like a queen’s. And her gait was so light that she seemed to be floating above the ground rather than walking. However, there were some burnt symbols on the path under her feet. I paid no attention to them.
She reeked of heat, as if she had jumped from the ashes of a village that had recently burned down near my borders. But she didn’t show any burns.
I wished she would stop so I could see her face. Her graceful head, with its golden curls arranged in an intricate hairdo, hinted that I was looking at a rare beauty.
“Wait!” I called her again, but she went forward faster, almost running. Well, it’s not hard for me to catch up with her. I didn’t want to change into a winged serpent right now and scare her, but what you can’t do in the excitement of the chase. So I did it. In flight, I managed to catch up to her and pin her against the trunk with my entire slippery golden body. And that was it. The lady is caught. Now I could change back into handsome Edwin and ravish her with my appearance. I became a beau before I realized that the lady was quite unusual.
She was certainly beautiful. She was very beautiful, even. She had a slim waist, shapely high breasts, and a swan’s neck, but one look at her face and I felt a little uncomfortable. Everything seemed to be perfect: long eyelashes like two fans, elegant eyebrows, expressive eyes, skin so snow-white that it was as if it was frosty. If you touch it, you can feel the snowflakes. I had never seen such a graceful face before, but the precious jewelry on it, even I was confused. It was something like a half-mask, going vertically instead of horizontally. Thin gold plates grew straight into the flesh. They stretched halfway down her face from her forehead to her chin. And it didn’t hurt her to wear it? If I’m not mistaken, the unusual jewelry is implanted directly into the skin, but the scar is not visible, as if the girl was born with it. The gold seems to grow out of her skin, enveloping half her face in a lacy pattern. Is it magic?
“Who are you?” my whisper wasn’t fiery, but she recoiled as if she’d been burned. I’d never made such a repulsive impression on a lady before. Did she see right through me? Did she realize I was a dragon? Even my handsome appearance didn’t mislead her. What insight! She’s to be applauded.
A tiny squirrel