“You are not ready, so you see it so far,” answered Elicia. -Look, here’s the creek and the well near the Tree. – she said these words.
And he saw the light, and the fog cleared, and he saw the most beautiful meadows covered with flowers, there was a wonderful scent of flowers in the air, butterflies fluttered, and sometimes they circled around the goddess, creating just a spiral of aerial flowers, the sky was dazzlingly blue, the sun shone, but There were two lionesses lying across the tree, looking attentively at the Cretan, and even further, previously taken just for boulders, griffins with golden manes and wings were sitting, sometimes opening their beak, but not announcing the surroundings with their legendary scream that kills all mortals. A golden chain twisted around the tree, one end of it reached the sky itself, where it was lost in the clouds, and the other descended to the ground, curled among the huge roots, roots, or rather tufts of roots, there were three, and looking below, he experienced an incomparable the horror – the Cretan saw the infinitely coiling rings of the Great Gray Worm, or the Serpent, or the Dragon, the Great Kronos Himself, or Python, whatever you call it, everything is one. It is through his rings that the souls of people slide into the realm of the Dead over the Ice Bridge. A source of water was knocked out of the ground next to the roots, and right there was a well, and Elicia called everything, so her words were imprinted in the memory, and they could not be forgotten, the maiden called him Urd, and the fact that this is a source of living water.
“I saw the Golden chain of Homer, as he wrote: “I did not touch the Golden chain, “said the young man with sadness in his voice,
“Do not be sad, sailor,” said the Virgin, “if I allowed you to touch her, you would have a different fate.”
– So it is a good place, my fields, beautiful meadows and flowers, can see the souls of those who did not do evil, and what the souls of those who did evil see here have you already seen- Wet Drizzle, good people see the Champs Elysees,
– So what am I angry? Nearh asked, and I will suffer forever without birds singing, the beauty of flowers and the blue sky?
– You are shown in part how my world looks, but you have not died, and you cannot be here, and you see it with my eyes through my will.
– Why can’t I see you in reality?
– It is impossible, I can be among people only when I will be embodied in human essence, or only in a dream, and seem to be chosen.
“What are you looking at my back there?” He would have sworn that she was laughing if darkness could laugh. – Are you looking for my wings under a raincoat? With the wings did not work, you excuse me, navigator.
– So you were born on Earth, like a man, madam?
– And not once. But I will not say the rest, I will prepare you for the trials. You will have to guess the three riddles that Kallifena will give you, and remember that cunning is not forbidden, and then you will be cleansed with the ichor wine,
– What is ichor?
– The blood of the gods, I’ll show you, suddenly a fiery dagger flashed in her hand from nowhere, and she ran them around her wrist, Nearh frowned at the expectation of someone else’s pain, the pain of a girl, but the darkness instead of Elicia’s face was impenetrable, and then, from under the knife flowed jet of clear liquid. The son of the archon could not take his eyes off the current drops, which flowed down to the ground in a narrow stream, and had already twitched to stop, not blood, but something else…
– You have no scars, Nearh? asked goddess.
“On her forearm,” and without a word, she put her wrist to his forearm, and the recent wound that ichor ran on her eyes turned pale and the scar disappeared completely, and then touched the palm of his shoulder.
– What are you frowning? Look more fun! It does not hurt me, although I will not hide it pleasantly when they are worried about you. This is a memory for me, you will remember that it was not quite a dream.
Nearch began to wake up, but he could not open his eyes, it became noticeably colder in the cave, spasms held down the muscles, as if they had become copper, the body was filled with a feeling of no fear, no, something alien, nearby, and at the same time completely different, implicit and unclear. Finally, this thing left the cave, and Nearh could open his eyes, it was already light, and he ran to wash, and the gnomon showed the hour. Kallifen came, brought cakes and honey, a fresh towel, quickly flashed her eyes over the shoulders and arms of Nearh, then her pupils widened incredibly, as if she saw something important, but she gave no sign, not even a hint.
“Sit Notarh,” she said in an unusual and unusual, tender voice, and showed her to sit down on a folding chair, and he immediately tensed, feeling the hint,
– Did that good tonight? – asked the priestess and carefully looked into the eyes of the adept, not looking up.
“Not bad,” he said.
“Dreams must have been a good dream?” The priestess asked again.
– Interesting, said Nearh illegible, munching on a cake with honey, -And you cook well, I did not think that the priestesses are such masters.
– Eat on health, soon you will be going to go on the road.
– Already? I did not pass the test?
– Where are you, a hearty hand burned? she said, clutching at his right hand tenaciously, and showing him the burn from Elicia’s yesterday’s touch.
“And how, the goddess revealed her face to you?” – the young man slid an eye on his shoulder, and noticed a scar, rather a red spot in the form of a chicken’s foot, or a trident, only a very small one, which he did not notice yesterday.
Nearh attempted to break free, but in vain, despite the small stature, the priestess had a great strength, and the jerk of the initiate was vain,
“I was not honored with something.” Answered the young sailor.
“The Goddess noted you,” added Kallifen, and stroked this place, a burn with some kind of respect, and already looked at the young man, almost as an equal. – Wear a chiton with sleeves that others would not see, and here’s your first memory present that passed the test, and she handed him a twisted silver bracelet, with two spirals facing each other. – By this bracelet, another initiate will recognize you wear it on your shoulder. How, the head is not spinning, you feel normal?
“Not bad,” Nearh lied. He still lacked a girl to complain!
“By the evening I will bring the medicine, rest today, and tomorrow we will begin a new way – she finished her speech, gave the provisions, and went to her house.” Still, it was pleasant to look at her, despite that she was a priestess, and she was very beautiful and intelligent, and very strong, as it turned out. The instructor climbed along the path with a charming gait, her raincoat, fine work from a good canvas was thrown over the chiton, the wind slightly lifted it at each step, the sun’s rays fell on her dark red hair, and they glittered with gold, not copper, and not paid attention, or pretended not to pay attention to the admiring glances of the student.
Nearh barely looked away from the beauty, ate breakfast, collected provisions for lunch, which would be removed in the vessel before noon, looked at the gnomon, there was still plenty of time, and got ready to read Herodotus. Although what is there? Now he himself was almost like Aristei, he thought, and grinned. He looked again at the burn and the bracelet on his shoulder, and went into the cave, he felt very badly, his head was spinning cruelly, he had ache and crown and the back of his head. Reaching the bed, he tried to read, but fell asleep, and this time he only dreamed of his family. Kallifena woke him, shaking him hard on the shoulder.
– Stand up, you will be initiated into the sacraments. Leave everything here, you’ll be back soon. You hope you slept well, feel better after yesterday, to see the goddess a terrible work,