Squint-Eye jerked back sharply trying to get up and move away from Lis but only hit the back of his head against the table. Everyone laughed.
"Lis, stop picking on him," Orel said laughing. "Time to go."
He got up, took his mask from the table and put it on hiding his bandaged face. Lis and Nikto followed his example covering their faces.
"Tell Asa not to hurt our boy," Orel said to Nikto.
Nikto passed his words to Asa. She just cursed in reply, as usual. They left locking the door behind them.
Orel, Nikto and Lis come to the military camp.
Orel has a meeting with commanders. He discusses the present situation with them and plans their further actions.
Since Enriki won't be able to participate in battles in the nearest future, Orel decides to dismiss his detachment that is left without its commander.
But the commoner in command of the detachment, Enriki's right-hand man – Dick Nedwill – convinces him to postpone this decision. He assures Orel that he will manage to command and lead them. Orel gives him a chance.
Orel's troops plan to start the attack. Orel is risking a lot but his soldiers believe in him, they don't doubt their master's strength and power. Mercenaries also believe in the strength and power but not those of the prince – but of the one they think their true master. The all need those rich territories in the southern part of the city.
Tol, Asa and Squint-Eye join them.
Thanks to a clever attack plan made by Lis who took into consideration all the weak points of the enemy's defense and all the characteristics of the location, the vanguard detachment consisting of the best Orel's soldiers and mercenaries make an unprecedented at its bravery dash into Black Bey's rear catching him off guard.
Bey's main forces are located at the borders with Orel's territories. He calls for some troops from the borders to help his weak and scanty detachments in the rear.
It gives Orel the opportunity to break through Bey's impregnable defense at the border and advance. Lis's and Tol's detachments close the ring from the west, the detachments of Squint-Eye and Dick do the same from the east. Bey is surrounded. He flees. His streets are conquered.
Despite his initial wish, Squint-Eye couldn't let his enemies kill him.
They have won.
Chapter 5
In the Garden
They sat in Orel's garden resting and watched the city that spread below. Enriki, very pale, with his arm bandaged and his eyes dim with medicines and pain was sitting in the armchair.
Near to him, hugging each other tenderly, Tol and his faithful Asa were sitting. Tol hadn't removed his sign of mourning for her and the paint was slowly fading by itself. Now a half of his face was dirty grey but it didn't bother him at all. His wounds had practically healed and he was quite perky. The same thing couldn't be said about Asa: she, on the contrary, looked very tired. It was one of the rare cases when she was in a dress – a beautiful black dress with exquisite embroidering. In her hair made into a high hairdo there was a wonderful adornment given to her by Lis. But her face was haggard, her eyes sunken; expensive things made for noble ladies didn't suit her. They just increased the contrast between the luxury of her outfit and her exhausted face with irregular, rough features; it was an attractive face but still a face of a commoner and a half-blood. The sparkling of the jewelry didn't suit her misted eyes; Asa looked ridiculous in this outfit.
Slightly away from the others Squint-Eye sat right on the ground. He leaned with his back against the edge of a broken fountain; his head was hanging over his chest, a forgotten cigarette smoked in his fingers.
Nikto sat on his cloak spread on the ground; his cane he never parted with during last time lay nearby. Lis occupied one of the armchairs. He looked thoughtfully at the twilight covering distant mountain peaks and watchtowers in the east.
Orel walked towards them from the castle.
"So, why are you sitting here as if you're sick?" he said coming up to them. His face painted light grey seemed lifeless in the dusk.
"The weather is good," Lis said, "and the summer is over soon."
Orel sat down on the grass and looked at the city with his good eye.
"My sisters liked to sit here, my mother said," he took out a bottle from the pocket of his jacket, opened it with his teeth and made a few gulps.
"Why don't you order to repair the fountain?" Enriki asked looking at the bulky marble sculpture surrounded by rotting water.
Orel glanced at the fountain.
"When I was little, there were fishes in it," he said.
"Cool!" Tol exclaimed. He almost lay down on the ground and pulled Asa with him.
"So, what about your servants?" Lis yawned.
"Aah, as always – dumb like shit," Orel laughed. "By the way," he turned to Enriki, "your Coal pleasantly surprised me, he is a good warrior and commander, you're lucky to have him. What's his real name?"
"Dick son of Nedwill, Dick Nedwill but everyone calls him Coal."
"Why Coal?"
"He has this name since his childhood. He told me. He was born in the east. One day the Red attacked his village, killed everyone and burned everything. He was just a boy; he managed to hide in the basement and took his little sister with him. Their house was burning but they didn't come out, they just stayed there. When the Black came and started cleaning out the ruins, they found him. They didn't think he'd survive, he was badly burnt, so, they called him Coal."
"And what about his sister?" Tol asked.
"It is even more interesting about her. Three days later he came round and could explain them there was also his sister in the basement. They found her – she was alive and not burnt but her hair was completely grey. Since then they never part. She plays in my sister's theater."
"Is she beautiful?"
"She is pretty, a commoner cannot be beautiful."
"Why didn't we see her before?" Orel asked.
"Did you want to? Are you interested in theater, Orel?"
"Well, I'd like to see her playing."
"Fine, I'll tell Mily."
"I liked her brother, you can't say he was burnt looking at him. He looks good and his hair is long. Why do you let him have such long hair, like a nobleman?"
Enriki shrugged.
"So what, he still is a commoner and he is short."
"Why are all commoners short," Tol asked, "but Lis and Nikto are as tall as you?"
"First of all, they are half-bloods," Orel said. "Besides, Lis's father was not a commoner and Nik doesn't even know who his parents were."
"Anyway, Nikto and Lis are shorter than we are," Enriki added.
"Yes, Lis is the shortest," Tol said.
"I'm not much shorter!" Lis said starting getting nervous.
"Much shorter than me!" Tol said.
"I don't even mention you, you're abnormally tall, like your trees!"
"You are a tree yourself!"
"Fine, don't start! Let's go back to the castle." Orel got up abruptly and grabbed his damaged eye hissing in pain.
"Easy, you fool," Lis laughed.
"You're a fool! Let's go to the castle!"
"What shall we do in your castle?"
"What are you doing here? Watching the mountains?"
"Let us rest."
"Shit, you're crazy," Orel hobbled to the castle.
"Arel, stay with us!" Tol shouted