Anchorite and the The Heart of Effie. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. LURE AND PREDATOR

The boy woke up on some hard surface, hard as a stone. It was clearly no longer a dungeon, and the noise had changed to reverent silence. The forest, the cruel roughnecks, the dungeon, the cage... The images raced through boy's memory. Where did the fate threw this young man again? Rising, the boy looked around frantically, at first not seeing anything but greenery: leaves, grass, shrubs - everything was bright green, and even the hard bed was also covered with thick marsh-colored moss. A little later, the boy realized that he was in a room without corners, the walls of which formed a perfect circle and were covered with vegetation. The strange green room had no windows or doors, and the ceiling was solid. Did someone wall up the boy here?
'Hey!' he yelled hoarsely, but still loudly. 'Can anyone hear me? Is anybody here?!'
The answer is dead silence. The boy quickly approached the wall, reached out a trembling hand and touched the curtain of strange plants that covered the surface of the rounded barrier. And as soon as the fingers touched the velvet-like surface, something amazing happened: the green wall instantly turned into thousands of small moths that fluttered into the air and scattered in different directions. And there were no more walls. The boy stood dead in his tracks in the middle of a huge delightfully fresh glade and did not know what to think and, especially, what to do next.
The glade was in the middle of the forest. However, this was not at all the forest where the boy had recently met hunters and was taken prisoner. Everything here was green and fragrant. There was no fear, no anxiety in these places, only fresh, living beauty. Fascinated by the local nature, the boy slowly walked along the grass, bypassing rare trees, looking at outlandish flowers, which were closing their buds from movement nearby, and then open again to meet butterflies fluttering in the air. Birds of different colors flew from crown to crown, communicating with each other with iridescent singing. And the boy also noticed small unknown creatures that looked like miniature graceful men with large blue eyes almost covering the entire face and long fingers that looked like thin twigs, and these creatures crawled out from under the bark of trees, as if they were part of it, the same dark gray colors, and were blinking in amazement, staring at a stranger. This guest made a timid attempt to come closer to these creatures, to examine them, but they also turned out to be shy and dissolved in the tree bark, as soon as the boy gave a sign that he noticed them.
So many outlandish little things completely dispelled the attention of a boy wandering with his jaw dropped through a magical forest. He did not notice how, literally in front of his nose, jumping from a branch hidden in the dense foliage of the nearest tree, a rather friendly-looking stranger landed.
He was a tall, strongly built young man with snow-white disheveled hair and fair skin. Surely he was an albino, since even his lips were pale, and in general he looked like some kind of suddenly appeared white spot. The only thing that stood out about him were bright blue eyes, so deep that looking into them, one could drown. The boy looked at the stranger for a few moments as if spellbound.
'You're not local, are you?' squinting and examining the youth, the white person said. 'Come on, show me your teeth!'
Absolutely tactless, he took the boy by the chin and squeezed his jaw, causing his mouth to open. It was incredibly strange: the stranger stared at the boy's teeth. Fortunately, this awkward examination ended quickly enough, and the boy began to rub his chin with displeasure, throwing an indignant look at the albino.
'And not a vampire,' concluded the stranger. 'A human? No, it can't be...'
He began making circles around the boy, glaring at him. Unlike the hunters, this white guy did not inspire fear or rejection, but rather intrigued with his behavior. There was also something attractive about him, a strange alluring force that had nothing to do with appearance.
'If you are a human, then I am surprised how it happened that you ended up in my father’s domain and still remain alive. Why are you keeping silent? Are you able to speak?'
The stranger stopped right in front of the boy, looked into his eyes and smiled. No, he definitely did not wish him anything bad.
“I… I just…” the boy stuttered, stuttering. 'I would like to introduce myself, but I don't know my name. I don’t know what this place is and how I ended up here too. I don’t understand at all what is happening to me, and, to be honest, the further, the more incomprehensible...'
'Hmm,' the white man grinned, frowning slightly and folding his arms across his chest. 'Well, here I am Aegion, son of Taurebeleg, king of the forestlands and marshes. However, you also need a name, because the name plays not the last place in the definition of a person. Let's start with this, and then we'll figure it out. If you belong to the human race, then you should be given a human name. Try to choose. Do it.'
The boy suddenly thought that this white stranger, who called himself Aegion, son of the king, was the first who treated him kindly. To be honest, the boy didn’t care what name to choose, he still lost hope of remembering his own one, as well as restoring his memory, but the opportunity to understand the present intrigued him much more than conventions.
'Okay,' the boy nodded timidly, 'I don’t want to choose. 'Whatever I say now, whatever name comes into my head, it’s still not mine. Then what’s the point? It would be a lie. I would not like to exist under a false name. It is better to be nameless.'
'Nameless. Well, let it be. That’s also acceptable. I’ll call you that.. Come with me, Nameless,' the white man waved his hand, beckoning for him. 'You can’t stay here alone.'
The boy followed the new acquaintance, no longer paying attention to the wonders of the local forest, but looking at his outlandish fellow traveler. The clothes on him seemed to be woven from leaves, small stems and shoots that outline the contours of the figure, moss that made the surface of high shoes look like suede, and against the backdrop of the lush greenery of the forest in this form, one could disguise oneself quite well. Perhaps that was the whole point. Moreover, perhaps all the locals looked like that.
A flock of very small birds distracted the boy from looking at the appearance of a white fellow. They from afar could be mistaken for butterflies, bright and full of a completely diverse palette of all kinds of colors, and this flock soared into the air in a swarm of many sparkles, dissolving in the sky, somewhere where the thick crowns of tall trees placed. Aegion, of course, noticed the sincere admiration of his companion.
'You don't know anything about yourself at all, right, Nameless?'
The boy looked back at Aegion, whose face made it obvious that he finds this reaction to the forest at least amusing.
'Well, there must be something. Try to tell me what you know. There is a possibility that I can help. Well, you will help me. Let's be useful to each other.'
Since this Aegion strangely inspired confidence, the boy told him what he remembered: how he woke up in the forest, how he was taken prisoner, how and how he managed to escape, and about the strange circumstances of falling into the abyss that led him to this forest. Several times Aegion interrupted the story, asking again and clarifying the details, repeatedly calling the boy "Nameless", and the boy gradually got used to it, stopped feeling the irony of the word.
The story impressed the white man. Even his deep blue eyes widened in surprise.
'Do you realize how lucky you are?' he commented passionately. 'You escaped from the dungeon of Taurentius himself! Holy Five! I’ve never heard anyone do that before!'
'I wasn’t really thinking at the time what was going on or what I was doing. But I agree with you, without luck I wouldn’t have made it out of that awful dungeon. And about the fact that my hands burned the stonewall - I don’t know how it happened, and I can’t do this trick again. Here look.' The boy showed Aegion his palms, and then turned his hands in the air. 'Have you seen? Ordinary hands. Nothing special.'
'So, someone helped you at that moment. You're not a magician, are you?' thought Aegion.
'That Taurentius you mentioned, even he, when he looked at me, told his servants that he didn’t feel any special abilities in me,' the boy nodded, although, in all honesty, he himself did not fully believe in what he said . 'Although he obviously wouldn’t let me go anyway, even if I were the most harmless creature in the world.'
'Here is this iron argument. Although, after your enchanting escape, I think he changed his mind. Taurentius, of course, is a good strategist, but suspiciousness is his weak point. And be sure that your escape, especially with burning the wall with your hands, will not be left without his attention.'
'Is he really worth being afraid of?' the boy asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. 'Who is this Taurentius anyway? Is he the embodiment of universal evil or something like that?'
The white man burst into laughter. Then, with no less surprise, he answered.
'Now I believe one hundred percent that you lost your memory. How can you not know who Taurentius is? Yes, he is one of the greatest dark magicians in the history of Abbaddon. In the worst sense of the word. Behind him are so many wars, so many deaths. At his command, the once flourishing and fragrant world of life turned into ruins, a dead wasteland. Taurentius destroyed the fairies race, practically eradicated the human race. I could go on for a long time enumerating all his, shall we say, «achievements»... But from what I have already said, my cheekbones ache...'
A dense forest began: the trees were located more often, the trunks became thicker, and the crowns - thicker. And suddenly the forest twilight began around. The forest fauna was no longer visible, everything was quiet.
'Well, can he be defeated? Or is this Taurentius an invulnerable scoundrel?' the boy suggested.
'He longs to be seen as such,' said Aegion, spreading his arms. 'He stormed almost the entire center of Abbaddon. And, probably, in view of this, he fancies himself the greatest and most powerful conqueror. Nevertheless, by and large, the lands he conquered are weak and unprotected cities and settlements, which were not difficult to take. Frankly, he still eschews strong opponents: the mountinours in the north with their impregnable mountains and the Endless Wall in the east, that one is generally an enchanted artifact. Well, and the forests of the elves - Taurentius will definitely not show up here just like that. Of course, he is a strong magician, but he cannot defeat elven magic. Something more powerful is needed here. The forest is well protected by my father’s magic, king of elves and all forest creatures, and Taurentius knows that well.'
'What can elves do?' the boy asked with genuine interest.
'Well...' the elf drawled, deftly jumping onto a low branch and jumping off it like a cat. 'We are fast, agile, and skilled with weapons, both human and elven. By the way, most of the great warriors originated from our kind. We have our own magic, inherited. If sorcerers need knowledge, formulations, and all sorts of other nonsense, then our magic is intuitive. We take strength from nature, we can draw magic from the air, earth and water, call on ancient spirits to help us. And sometimes even we ourselves cannot predict the scope of this power. Well, all this is crowned by the fact that, since our power is directly connected with nature, it is not capable of destroying or harming, it strives for harmony and balance. That is why there are no dark magicians among the elves. We are strong and kind, which, to tell the truth, is a rare combination these days.'
'If you are so good, then why, when you saw me, were you surprised that I was still alive? Someone would like to kill me in these forests?'
The boy absorbed information like a sponge, and felt like a child learning about the world: everything was interesting, and the teacher was not stingy with answers. With an elf named Aegion, it turned out to be so comfortable and interesting that even the gloomy forest, into which the travelers went deep, did not embarrass or frighten. Time flew by imperceptibly.
'My father hates mountinours. These are mountain people. And he also dislikes the rest of the human race: he considers it weak and worthless. As I told you, we elves do not avenge and do not kill, but not so long ago, through the fault of a mountain man, a father lost his dear sister. In general, the story of the forbidden fruit, eating which both signed their own death warrant. I'm not sure, but they're probably already dead. Oriel must have fallen victim to the hunters of Taurentius, for he had long since opened a hunt for fairies and had already exterminated this race. I, as you know, hate Taurentius fiercely, because he deprived me of my aunt. Although my father blames for this loss not Taurentius at all. Since then, all of us, the inhabitants of the forest, are wary of uninvited guests.'
'So that’s why you were surprised that I ended up in the forest and was safe and sound,' the boy nodded.
'Well, to put it mildly, you wouldn’t quite like it if my father were in my place now,' Aegion told. 'You definitely wouldn’t expect friendliness and curtsies from him.'
'I didn't kill your sister. Why elves should hate me?'
The question remained unanswered. Aegion thought about something, looking away.
'You said I could help you with something. What did you mean?' the boy asked.
Then Aegion stopped. So abruptly that the boy following him almost ran into the elf.
'The Five themselves sent you here,' he smiled slyly. 'You are a man, my young friend Nameless. Do you know that among the creatures that inhabit these forests, sometimes there are bloodsuckers? Yeah, real vampires. On the surface, they look like ordinary people, but in fact they are real predators! Only, unlike animals, these predators are not interested in eating your flesh. They need blood. And it so happened that I know how much human blood is desirable for them. For them, it is especially delicious. You will help me by playing lure. There is a vampire in our forests who is killing the elves of the forest, and I am instructed to neutralize him.'
'Do you want this vampire to suck my blood?' the boy did not believe his ears, but Aegion quickly calmed him down.
'He won't hurt you, be sure of that,' he said with sudden excitement. The white man's eyes gleamed in the forest twilight. 'Vampires are fast, of course, but only elves are faster. You will not become a victim, only a bait. And when my father finds out that you helped me neutralize the enemy, it will be much easier for him to believe that you are a friend, not an enemy. After all, this is so, right?'
The question hung over the boy like a heavy boulder, ready to fall on his head at any moment. Deciding to take the risk anyway, he nodded and said:
'Is that vampire around here somewhere?'
'The forest is large,' said Aegion, looking around. 'He could be anywhere. But we don't have to look for it, and we won't. We'll just keep walking. You will see, not even an hour will pass - a vampire will find us himself. Then we'll deal with him. You see, the father protects the forest people, as befits a king, and vampires are generally forbidden to enter the territory of the enchanted forests, much less kill someone here. This is the reason for our hunt for the troublemaker.'
'Are you really sure what you're doing?' Just in case, the boy clarified. A small shiver ran down his back. It wasn't that he didn't trust the man he'd met half an hour ago, but the role of lure gave him unavoidable anxiety.
Aegion laughed out loud again. Then he waved his hand in the air, gesturing for his new friend to continue his walk in the woods.
'Don't be afraid, please. We still need to figure out your story. And something tells me that everything there is much more interesting than it seems at first sight, and much more complicated than the incident with the vampire attack here.'
The day was approaching evening, it was getting colder, but the sun's rays, sometimes breaking through the veil of dense crowns, still caressed the verdant forest. There was a smell of dampness, the ground was slightly damp, and multi-colored insects kept circling in the air, creating some completely magical illusion of a fairy tale with their erratic flight. From time to time, the high-pitched birdsong, the crunch of branches and the rustle of the crowns of trees waved by the wind were heard. Lairiel slowly went deep into the forest, enjoying every second of the walk. The girl was not afraid to get lost or run into trouble: although she was young, she knew this forest like the back of her hand. Here, in the wilderness, far from her father's supervision and the walls of her native folt, the young elf found peace and could afford to be herself, devoting all her time to training and fighting an invisible enemy, tightly clutching a fake sword in her hand. A couple of times her father caught her doing this forbidden occupation, but neither punishments, nor scandals, nor even new prohibitions, could to this day break Lairiel's desire to become a warrior. The girl grew up very lively, speaking without boasting, shot with an arrow, and wielded a sword much better than some of her peers-boys. And having learned about her father's desire to marry her soon, the elf trained even harder, as if she was preparing to strike her newly-made husband with a sword on the very first marriage night.
Rarely did Lairiel find places in the forest that she had not yet discovered and explored. This happened when she went very far, as, for example, today. Lairiel knew that her father would be at the meeting of the elders for a very long time, so she was in no hurry to return home for a while. Realizing in an instant that the journey had been going on for about an hour, Lairiel, wanting to explore the territory, noticed a tall old tree with very thick branches nearby. Running up to him, the elf deftly and quickly climbed up and in a matter of seconds was high enough to see what was around.
After a few more seconds, Lairiel's face broke into a satisfied smile. To the right from the tree, not far away, about five hundred meters away, was a stunningly beautiful meadow dotted with bright flowers. And it seemed perfect for training. Driven by the desire to use the sword as soon as possible, Lairiel quickly descended from the tree and soon found herself on the edge of an enchanting meadow. Even the air here seemed different from the usual forest: there was a smell of flowers and fresh strawberries. Fascinated by the extraordinary beauty, the elf took a deep breath and, drawing her sword from its scabbard, began to strike the invisible enemy from different sides, moving step by step into the middle of the meadow. Barely audible, she whispered something indistinct at first glance - immediately a ghostly silhouette appeared from the air, glittering in the sun, giving off a silvery sheen into the air, light as a breath of wind, and took the form of an armed warrior resisting Lairiel's blows. She learned this magic from her brother a few months ago and actively used it during training.
Like this, many minutes passed before the large, pointed ears catch up the strange noise, and Lairiel, plunging her sword into the ghostly opponent who had disappeared at the same moment, quickly looked around, not letting go of the sword from her hands.
A man appeared in the meadow. A young fellow looked at the elf enigmatically. However, this did not bother her at all. Suddenly, the guest's expression changed: he smiled pleasantly and, narrowing his eyes slightly, said:
'Does the king know what you're doing here, damn it?'
'No,' Lairiel smiled back. 'As, obviously, about your presence in our area. Are you tired of living?'
'The things we do for the sake of adventure. Without risk, life is not joyful, is it?'
The guy spread his arms, waiting for a positive answer, but instead Lairiel laughed loudly and rushed towards the guest, enclosing him in a strong hug. He also warmly hugged the girl, and both were, of course, glad of the sudden meeting.
'We haven't seen each other for how long? Year? Two?' Lairiel asked in admiration, finally letting go of her old friend. 'But what are you doing here?'
'Well, to be precise, three and a half months. But I'm flattered that you missed me so much,' the man grinned. I'm here looking for my brother. He, you know, completely stopped being friends with his head. He poked himself into the forest, and I have to go look for him now. Better me than your father. So now, we're both stuck here. And I, like a hound, now dart through the forest, anticipating what other trick my little brother will throw out...'
The brothers Arron and Calder Marian were not welcome in the Enchanted Woods, as, in fact, any vampire. Bloodsuckers, as many inhabitants of the forest called them with obvious contempt, have long been known as a threat to everything good and bright, peace and quiet, but, to the great joy of all, there are very few vampires left: some died in battles for Taurentius, who persuaded many of them to his side. On the other hand, some died of starvation, since food was every year harder and harder to find. Only the most resilient remained, those who adapted to a modest diet and secretive life, and the vampire-born, for whom blood was not critically important. In general, no one loved vampires by default, even those who had never met even one in their entire lives.
Despite this situation, Arron Marian was a longtime friend of Lairiel and Aegion, the children of the Elven king, however paradoxical it may sound. He saved Lairiel from one of his sworn brothers, and since then the friendship of Lairiel and Arron has never been in question. Of course, now these relations had to be hidden, but due to the fact that Calder, Arron's brother, fled to the Enchanted Forest, and now is completely stuck in it, Lairiel periodically had the opportunity to see her dear friend. These vampires were not to be feared: theoretically, Arron could tear the elf's throat out in a few seconds, but he would not do it. Marian's brothers drank only the blood of human, and fundamentally refused the rest of the victims.
'I couldn't help but see you,' Arron admitted sincerely. 'But I can't stay long. Apparently, Calder managed to mess up. I need to find him faster than your father's henchmen.'
'Hey, don't worry too much,' Lairiel waved her hand away. 'Father sent my brother to look for Calder. But I can't believe that he killed someone. Are you sure that your brother is guilty for that?'
'Aegion is looking for Colder now?' The vampire laughed. 'Well, irony is here, thunder strike me! These two can do a lot more trouble together than apart. As I know there's no vampires in the forest for now, just me and Colder. The last thing I want to think is that my brother did something bad. But I can honestly say that anything can be expected of Calder.'
'I'll help you find them. Who-who, but I know the forest like no other,' the elf firmly stated. Then she, putting two fingers in her mouth, as they usually do when they want to whistle, only instead of a whistle something very similar to a soft, long trill sounded.
A few seconds later, a snow-white bird appeared in the air. She was very small, no bigger than a sparrow. Deftly fluttering in the air, she flew around Lairiel and Arron and, finding her target, landed on the elf's shoulder. What happened next was something very unusual, but not surprising, nevertheless, to anyone present: Lairiel and this outlandish bird began to exchange these peculiar trills, creating an obvious conversation. Then the bird took to the air again, vanishing into the sky.
'Well, judging by what the bird whispered to me, your brother is very close from here. And my brother too. In addition, someone else is with them. The birds don't know him. Let's go. It's in the northwest of the forest.'
Lairiel said this very quickly as she hurriedly walked towards the trees. The elf seemed to be worried.
'Birds do not know someone?' the vampire asked in surprise, catching up with her friend. 'This is something new.'
'That means the stranger who is now with our brothers has never been to the Enchanted Forest. Is it another vampire... You haven't heard anything like that? This is a surprise...' Lairiel reasoned, walking so fast that it could have been running.
'So many years have passed, and you are still the same: you always start to worry, while there is still no reason for concern. Well, what can happen, pray tell?'
Instead of answering Arron, the elf clung to one of the trees. Her lips parted and a sound came out of her throat, like a soft crackle or growl. At the same moment, a dark gray small creature with large blue eyes appeared on the bark, and began to actively respond to Lairiel with the same soft growl. Then the elf touched the head of the little being with her finger, as if stroking him in gratitude, and hurried forward, skirting the thick trunks of the often growing gigantic trees.
'Well, what did the davine say to you?' Arron asked loudly, following Lairiel. 'Hey, can you tell me anything?'
The vampire's nostrils flared, and there was a sudden itch in his gums that hadn't been there a moment ago. The whole body was instantly pierced by a familiar, but not experienced feeling of endless lust. Arron greedily inhaled the increasingly obvious aroma, so desirable and inviting as nothing else in the world. The vampire did not even notice how he outrun Lairiel with inhuman speed, leaving her somewhere behind. Another second or two, and here it is, the goal. Having knocked down a man, Arron did not immediately realize that there was a child under him, a very fragile, thin young man, looking in horror at the predator that overtook him.
Everything happened so quickly that the eye of an ordinary person could hardly catch the details of events - Aegion flew at Arron from the right, and both rolled around together.
'What are you doing here?' hissed Aegion, rising to his feet.
Arron was still greedily looking towards the youngster, who was pressed into the trunk of a tree, frightened to a stupor. The vampire had not drunk human blood for a long time, but still he had not forgotten how tasty it was.
'Hey,' Aegion exclaimed in rage, slapping the vampire in the face.' Are you out of your mind, Arron? Why are you here?'
'I'm glad to see you too,' the vampire replied calmly, but with notes of tension, looking at the elf. He was angry with himself: it is so shameful to lose self-control - where ever seen!'
'You know it's not safe for you here! All I asked not to show up in our woods. And you not only took a risk, but also killed someone here!' Aegion continued to splutter, blushing with disappointment. 'Are you thinking about the consequences? Our friendship won't save you from my father, and I won't...'
'I didn't kill anyone! I promised you!' Arron shook his head, shaking the ground off his clothes. 'But my brother could. He ran into the forest. I ran after him. He's probably around here somewhere. And, as you understand, now we are forever doomed to sit in this trap. I was just trying to find a solution to this problem!'
'Is Calder here too?' said Aegion, horrified. Now the presence of all these persons in one place seemed to him a complete disaster.
'I'm taking it over. Don't worry. You and Lairiel always panic. By the way, here she is.'
Arron pointed to the side where a running elf emerged from the trees. She froze for a couple of seconds, looking around at those present, and then approached the frightened stranger, who was still snuggling against to the tree and looking at Lairiel with a wildly frightened look.
'Aegion. Who is this?' she asked loudly with cold seriousness.
'This is Nameless, my new acquaintance and failed bait for, as it turned out, Calder Marian. People, you spoiled my hunting! What will I tell my father?' said Aegion, throwing an angry glance at Arron and going up to his sister. 'You should be at home! That's what my father said! Do you want him to put you under lock and key?'
'Is he a mortal?' Lairiel asked in complete dismay, examining the frightened youth intently.
'You can, by the way, ask him about it yourself. He has a language!' Aegion replied.
'An elf catches a vampire by a human bait who turns up under his way? How original!' said Arron, standing aside. It was clear to everyone that the vampire was restraining himself not without difficulty.
'And as you can see, everything worked out. Only it wasn’t the one who should be caught!' the elf snapped, starting to look around. 'Of course, Lairiel, if I could communicate with the forest people like you, then the task would be easier, but my father entrusted this task to me. And I would have successfully dealt with it if you had not intervened!'
'Hey,' Lairiel said a little rudely, turning to the boy. 'How did you get into the forest? Who are you?'
'I…' – he said softly under his breath. 'I…'
'Well, he is very eloquent,' Arron chuckled.
'Listen, shut up, please!' exclaimed Aegion, waved his hand.
'Hey, don't you dare talk to him like that! We still lacked quarrels here!' Lairiel demanded sternly, even in a somewhat parental way, noting to herself that these words did not hurt Arron in any way, but even a little amused. She glanced at her brother, adding, 'Can you tell me who your new acquaintance is and for what purpose he poked himself into the forest?'
'He doesn't remember anything! Well, apart from the fact that Taurentius was trying to capture him.'
Aegion briefly recounted to his sister the story he had heard earlier. The boy himself was still silent, almost numb with fright. Only his eyes darted from side to side.
'We can’t take this stranger to our father. He doesn’t let mountinours into the forest, but a human man at best just banishes...' said Lairiel quietly.
'What do you think we should do now? What are the options?' asked Aegion. He, overall, thought his sister’s reasoning reasonable, but leaving Nameless boy wandering alone in the woods was also a bad idea.
'Is our King capable of killing a man? Quite. Father has despised the human race for many years and has no regard for their lives. This child must be brought out of the forest before the King finds him.'
'I can only take him with me after I find my brother,' Arron shrugged.
'Yeah, and eat him for lunch,' added Aegion, still angry with the vampire. 'Arron, where are you going to take him? 'You’re an enchanted creature, and once you’re in the woods, you won’t be able to come out of it, you know that!'
'But this child is not! I will take him to the edge of the forest, and then let him find his own way to go. I promise I will not drink his blood. I will not let Calder do it!'
Aegion rolled his eyes and sighed. He could hardly believe the last promise the vampire made.
'Murder of the elf! We must continue the search for Arron before he does anything else. It all smells like something bad,' said Aegion, frowning.
'Like blood?' was another Arron joke completely out of place.
Lairiel walked a few trees, finding another little creature with blue eyes, and again began chattering in cracking voice with him, exchanging information. The frightened Nameless boy looked at it, and gradually his fear grew back to curiosity again: he even got to his feet and took a few steps forward, detached at last from the tree trunk.
Lairiel immediately noticed this. Realizing that everyone was frozen in confusion, the girl voiced the only thought that seemed reasonable to her at the time.
'We will go together to find Calder. Arron - because only a brother of him can persuade this troublemaker not to act rashly, this human child - because he must be brought out of the forest and we can do it on the way, me - because only I can communicate with the forest creature and it will help to find the vampire much faster than without me. Well, and Aegion - I think we all understand why my brother should be involved in this. Well, everyone will be okay with this plan? I think it's genius!'
No one said a word in protest. Only Aegion, scratching his head, looked down and added:
'The only thing you haven’t considered, dear sister, is the murder of the daughter by her father on your return home. If the King finds out what you’re up to, and he will, and we both know it, you will be locked up for the rest of your long life! That is in "the best case".'
So it was a pure truth. But it was this truth that did not embarrass or frighten Lairiel. Oddly enough, the girl smiled widely and nodded. Arron chuckled approvingly.
'I’ve already broken the rules before. I’ve never created the image of a diligent princess. My father will be going to rain down on me again a wave of threatening words, moralizing that I’ve learned by heart. Nothing new will happen then. And I don’t really care. I’m thirsty for adventure. And here is the one of them is already knocking on our doors. Come on!'
Aegion and Arron looked at each other. But no one argued. All four moved to that part of the forest, which was as far away from the familiar Lairiel and Aegion surroundings and folts.