Chapter 30

     When they were done with the rackets, the kittens happily scampered off into the caves. For the rest of the evening, Leolik was cleaning and grilling the fish over the fire. Then they ate a little and put the fish into bowls.
– Leolik, did you like myarg kids?
– Yeah, Mila. They’re almost like kids. You just wanna pat them. And they’re so smart, even though they’re cats.
– Leolik, I wanna kids! Do you wanna them too?
– Mila?
– Leolik, I’m absolutely pregnant. My menstrual period was expected to start today, but it hasn’t started. Leolik, know what I’m talking about, actually?
– Mila, strange as it may seem, I do have some info about that in my mind.
– Leolik, I wanna a boy and a girl. I watched you making toys for the kittens today. Don’t laugh, but I imagined they were our children. And that you were making toys for them. I almost had tears in my eyes. Leolik, I love you so much! You can’t even imagine! – Tears welled up in Milena’s eyes. – Leolik! – Milena suddenly burst into tears. Big tears were rolling down her cheeks. She hugged Leolik. Leolik was kissing Milena gently, trying to calm her down.
– Mila! Come on, why are you crying? Please, don’t sob. You’re with me, after all. We’ll have our children. A boy and a girl. Whatever you want. But we need to get to the city as fast as we can. After all, we have to get married officially. Mila, maybe should we go to sleep? We need to get some good rest. We'll have to get up early tomorrow. It’s just a stone’s throw from the two-peaked mountain to the city. I hope there aren’t any monsters living there, just normal people. And everything's gonna be fine for you and me.
– Leolik, please tell me everything'll be okay! Just say it.
– Mila. Everything will be okay! Let’s go to bed — I’m already missing your tenderness, sweetheart.
    Finally, Milena calmed down and nodded in agreement. They went into the tent. Leolik was having sex with Milena until almost midnight. She demanded more and more and more… Finally, she grew tired and fell asleep, happy. Leolik was also completely exhausted. He was sleeping like a log. But, oddly enough, he was still having dreams. In his dream, he was surrounded by a whole brood of myarg children. He was playing badminton with them. And, oddly enough, there were human children among little myargs, as well. But suddenly, an enemy appeared in the dream. All the children scattered with a shriek, and Leolik was left alone with him. He tried to figure out who was standing in front of him. But the stranger’s face was gray and inscrutable. Leolik had a crossbow in his hands, and he fired. There was a terrible crash. Leolik woke up. The crash happened again. It was thunder! It was raining outside. Murzik squeezed his way into the tent. He was soaking wet. Leolik peeked out of the tent. A narrow crescent moon hung in the sky. The rain was not heavy, just drizzling. Leolik sighed, rushed out, and brought the saddle and bags back into the tent. Milena woke up too.
– Mila, this is the first time I’ve seen rain on your planet.
– Yeah, it happens sometimes. But it’ll definitely clear up by morning.
    It drizzled all the time until morning. Leolik could not really sleep, he drifted off into half-sleep and then awoke again. Finally, he could not bear that anymore and decided to get up. It was still very early. The rain stopped, but it was very wet. He led the horse to the tent. He dried its back with rags from Milena’s backpack. He tossed some branches into the fire. He had to remake the fire. Leolik warmed up yesterday's fish on the twigs.
    Milena got up too. Leolik began to take down the tent. It was damp and heavy. After breakfast, he started packing up. The sun rose and lit up everything around them. The scenery after the rain was simply breathtaking. It was as if the world had been washed clean one more time. One wanted to stay and live there, enjoying every moment.
    Just as Leolik was almost ready to leave, Barf showed up. He wasn’t alone. Mia and the kittens, Barsik and Muria, were with him. Leolik introduced Milena to Mia.
– Mia, this is Milena.
– Miena, – Mia repeated.
    Leolik handed Mia his map and pointed to the unnamed city.
– Mia, the city of Chronos.
She called Barf over, and they were discussing something for quite a while, pointing at the map. Then Leolik helped Milena to get onto the horse.
– Leolik, let’s take the kittens for a ride. Barsik, Muria!
    The kittens came over. Leolik picked up Muria and set her onto the front of the horse. Then he beckoned Barsik and set him onto the horse behind Milena.
    Mia gave a smile. It was hard to call it a smile on the cat’s face, but it was definitely a smile. Leolik tugged on the horse’s reins.
– Barf! Lead the way!
    They all set off towards the twin-peaked mountain. After about a kilometer, Barf muttered something to the kittens. Reluctantly, they began to get off the horse.
– Mia, I keep in my mind your request, – Leolik pointed to the collar wrapped around his right arm, which Mia had given him. She nodded to him.
    Barf was walking very fast. Leolik could barely keep up with him. But it seemed he knew the area well. In two or three hours, they reached the twin-peaked mountain, and Barf was leading them to the pass between it and the neighboring mountain. They began climbing the mountains. In another two hours, they found themselves on the other side of the ridge, having passed the two-peaked mountain. Barf stopped, beckoned Leolik, and pointed in the right direction.
– Barf, come with us!
– Neow. Barf – Mia.
    Leolik shook Barf’s paw.
– Barf, thank you!
    They continued their journey without him. Barf disappeared silently into the bushes. A valley covered with groves stretched out in front of them. Far on the horizon, something tall was visible, resembling a huge tree. But it was impossible to understand what it was exactly. Leolik decided to head right there. By noon, they had finally descended into the valley.
– Mila, maybe we should take a break? I've got tired of walking already.
– Leolik, sure! I’m also tired of bouncing around on the horse. Let’s just eat and drink something. What do you think — maybe we shouldn’t go into town? You never know what might happen.
– Well, it seems that we haven’t even gotta close to the city yet. It’s really hard to say what's seen in the distance. Let’s get closer, and we’ll decide then.
    They had a rest for about an hour. Leolik unhitched the horse so it could graze grass a little. They built a fire, warmed up the fish, and had a meal with relish.
– Leolik, do you think we’ll make it to that town today? I really feel like taking a shower.
– Yeah, I think we’ll be there in about three hours, if we don’t get lost. Do you think the horse could carry both of us? Won't it be too heavy for her? We could go a little faster.
– Well, only if we don’t chase her too hard.
 They were going for another three hours through countless groves. And finally, they entered the steppe. Ahead of them, on the horizon, a huge tower appeared. Small houses were visible around the tower.
– Mila, looks like we’re come to the place. So, shall we head to the city?
– Leolik, isn’t that dangerous?
– Mila, we've got to go there anyway. After all, we need to find out everything about Chronos. About me. I don’t think there are any monsters living here.
    They got off the horse, leading her by the reins. There was no wall around the city. They were already very close. Single-storey houses emerged. A huge tower, about three hundred meters high, stood tall over the city. A paved road came into view. Leolik and Mila were already walking along the road. They almost entered the city, but Milena suddenly stopped.
– Leolik, I’ve got stuck against something, I just can’t move forward. It’s as if a soft wall is pushing me back!
– Looks like a force field. Strange. But the horse is walking without any obstacles.
    Leolik went back to Milena. She tried once more to get past the invisible barrier, but kept running into an invisible wall.
– Leolik. They just won’t let me through. But you seem to be a local. You haven’t even noticed the barrier.
    Leolik thought for a while:
– Mila, go ahead and put on my collar.
    With the collar on, the barrier disappeared.
– Well, I guess I understand why they don’t need any walls. Looks like we’ve got smuggled into the city again. I think our collars've already been alerting the city’s authorities of our arrival. And they’ve probably already sent someone out to meet us.
    Leolik and Mila were walking down the street, leading their horse behind them. There were cottages all around. There was no one in the street. They were walking along the middle of the paved street when someone suddenly appeared, coming towards them. It was a guy on a bicycle wearing denim shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. He appeared at the end of the street and was rapidly approaching. The horse snorted and tugged the reins.
– Mila? – he said in surprise.
– Slava?
– Leolik, this is Slava. I've told you about him once.
– Slava, this is my husband, Leolik.
– I expected to see anyone but you and Leolik. Lelik, you’re not a stranger in this city. People have been looking for you for a long time. Especially you, Leolik.
– Who’s been looking for us?
– Chronos.
– Well, we’ve been looking for him too. I’ve got a lot of questions for him as well. Lead the way!
    Slava got off his bike and led them towards the city centre. About half an hour later, they entered a large square, in the centre of which a massive tower stood, with no windows or battlements. Near the entrance \ a familiar gilded carriage was standing. It was Queen Ksenia’s carriage. Next to this carriage there was King Arseniy’s carriage. Oscar was sitting on the box of the gilded carriage. Zena and Max were standing next to the carriage. They were discussing something actively.
– Oscar! Take care of the horse, – Slava shouted.
    All three turned at the shout and froze in silent astonishment when they saw Leolik and Milena.
– Leolik, Milena, follow me. Oscar's gonna take care of the horse, – he said, setting his bicycle down on the ground.
    Leolik gave a smile and waved to Zena. They entered the tower. Slava led them to a door. It was an elevator. The elevator was very modern, gleaming with chrome and bright lights. It was nothing like the elevators which Arseniy and Ksenia had in their palaces. When the elevator stopped, they stepped out into a corridor brightly lit by lamps. Slava was leading them briskly down the corridor. They approached a door. Slava threw the doors open, and they found themselves in a room resembling an office. There were cozy leather sofas and bright artificial lighting. Queen Ksenia, dressed elegantly, was sitting on a sofa, with King Arseniy beside her. Paying them no attention, Slava opened the next door, beckoned Leolik and Milena to follow him, and closed the door behind him. Leolik managed to catch a glimpse of the astonished looks on Ksenia and Arseniy’s faces. Slava pointed for Milena and Leolik to sit onto the sofa.
– Wait here, – he said, then hurried through the next door and closed it behind him.
Leolik began to look around the room. A simple desk, a rolling chair on wheels. There were windows. But Leolik realized they were fake windows. Milena was also watching the room with interest. Suddenly the door opened, Slava and a myarg entered the room. The myarg was wearing a gold-embroidered skirt and a vest, exactly the same clothes as Leolik had worn in Queen Ksenia’s palace.
– I’m Chronos! We’ve been looking for you for quite a while, Leolik, – he said.
– Very good, Chronos. But I have a question for you. Are you a true myarg? You're pronouncing the letter "L" too well.
    Chronos tensed up; one could see the hairs on the back of his neck standing like goosebumps. And just then, Murzik started climbing out of the backpack. Leolik had completely forgotten about the cat. But the cat kept climbing out and meowing. Leolik had to take off the backpack and get the cat out. Murzik walked over to Chronos and started rubbing against his legs.
– Leolik, how did you know about the myargs? It’s really hard for me to pronounce the letter “L.” But thanks to the collar, you can hear it. And I've been speaking to people for such a long time that I’ve almost learned how to pronounce the “L” sound.
– Mila, do you believe him?
– Ask him, who are you?
– Chronos, who am I?
– Leolik, you’re an artificial human. You've been created from Ksenia and Arseniy’s genes. I've added my own genes as well. You can show unusual abilities.
– So, does that mean I’m a biorobot? And who is Valeriy?
– No, you’re not a robot after all, you have free will. Yes, you were created artificially. But your memories and consciousness were copied from a living person. He’s from Earth.
– Is Valeriy dead?
– I don’t know, Leolik. There’s a remedy. You call it a granny's recipe. If you mix it into wine, the person falls into a stupor. The brain starts transmitting the contents of memory and thoughts on a special frequency. There’s a small dish-like spacecraft on the opposite side of the Moon, on the orbit of the Earth. It receives these waves. And records them. Then it transmits them here. It’s very hard to explain, but distance doesn’t matter. And the speed of light has no influence. The connection is almost instantaneous. Almost. When we started uploading memories into your mind, you suddenly disappeared from the facility. You teleported. My flying saucer-like spaceship does something similar, but it’s a machine. I’ve never encountered a living organism capable of manipulating time. That’s why we were looking for you. And there’s another oddity. Arseniy swears that you were flying over the air with Milena. I don’t know whether to believe that or not.
– Well, that’s a question for Milena. She’s a witch, after all. She’s the one to consult with. She flies – and how well she can fly, actually. But let’s get back to the question about the myargs. We’ve been asked to pass a message from them to you. If you’re a true myarg, you’ll be able to read it, – saying that, Leolik walked over to Milena, removed her collar, and handed it to Chronos. Chronos took the collar, walked over to the desk, and pulled a computer out of it. He connected one end of the collar to the computer. He clicked a few buttons. The hair on the back of his neck stood up in a thick mane.
– Leolik! Where have you taken it?!
– Well, it means you’ve read it, – Leolik nodded with satisfaction. – There’s just one small detail. It looks like Senya has sent a pursuit after us, and sooner or later his hunters will run into the myargs. Their children are there, and who knows how that encounter will end. They’ve already had a tragic experience with humans. It seems one myarg was killed.
– How far away are they located?
– On the other side of the twin-peaked mountain by the lake. And one more thing. Arseniy has decided to proclaim himself an Emperor. He’s no longer satisfied with being a King. I’m partly to blame for that. But if I were you, I wouldn’t trust him too much. He’s clearly hungry for glory and honors. I don’t know if he told you, but I've spent several hours in a pillory according to his orders.
– Slava, call for the airship. Milena is staying here. Slava, order your wife take care of her. You, Leolik, are flying with us. Have Ksenia and Senya unhitch the horses, I’ll talk to them tomorrow. We’re taking Senya with us. Let them know. Ask him to wait at the gate, we’ll be out shortly.
    Slava went into the next room. By the time Leolik, accompanied by Slava and Chronos, left the room, there was no one there already. Milena and the cat stayed in Chronos’s office to wait for Yulia, Slava’s wife. Leolik, Slava, and Chronos took the elevator down and went outside. The carriage and the horses were already gone. Slava’s bicycle was lying on the square, and King Arseniy was standing nearby.
– Greetings, Leolik, – he said.
– Oh, Your Imperial Majesty, how is your Empire? Is it growing in territory? How many kingdoms and cities have you annexed to it?
– Leolik, believe me, I didn’t want to offend you. But when a wound heals right in front of my eyes, I can’t help but start thinking of all sorts of crazy things. And you're even capable of flying.
– You think too much, Senya. It’s harmful for you. It’s a pity that you and Ksenia are my parents, otherwise, I’d have insulted you even more.
– Chronos? Is Leolik our son?
– Semyon, he has your genes. Yours and Ksenia’s. Answer me: have you sent hunters to the area around the Ushki?
– The Ushki, the twin-peaked mountain? Yeah, but I've sent them to the West. They probably won’t make it to the Ushki anytime soon, though. I won’t lie – I've promised them money if they find Leolik and bring him back, safe and sound.
    Just then, a zeppelin appeared overhead. It was enormous – at least three hundred meters long. The airship descended smoothly to about thirty metres above the ground. A metal basket lowered from the gondola on a cable. All four of them got into the basket, and it began to rise. They found themselves inside the gondola. It was very spacious in there. Chronos and Semyon immediately went to the control room. Leolik asked Slava to show him the airship and the cabins.
– Is that a dirigible? – he asked Slava.
– Yeah, it is.
– What kind of gas is there in it? Helium or hydrogen?
– Neither.
– What do you mean? Are there other gases lighter than air?
– Vacuum.
– Vacuum? How does the hull withstand atmospheric pressure then?
– We've got a plant called phallus cactus. It has microtubes inside. If you burn this plant in a special atmosphere, you get a porous mass in which all pores are connected. This mass is incredibly strong. Cubes are cut out of it, placed in an airtight film, and the air is pumped out. We get a cube lighter than air. And there are also cavities inside the zeppelin into which hot air is pumped. It further helps regulate the lifting capacity. I was involved in the creation of this airship. The most difficult task was calculating this vacuum element specifically, ensuring that it should be lighter than air and could withstand atmospheric pressure. As for horizontal movement, that’s controlled by two electric motors powered by accumulators.
– The myargs have a flying saucer-like spaceship lying in the lake.
– Does Chronos know about that?
– Well, he probably knows, because he must have read the message.
– Damn! This is awesome. Chronos’s dish needs to be repaired a bit. But we’ll definitely be able to craft one spaceship, combining those together. I really want to fly to the Moon! Maybe we should head to the navigation room? They’ve probably been waiting for us there already.
    When they entered the navigation room, Leolik saw the twin-peaked mountain through the porthole. They reached it literally in half an hour. A little further on, the lake came into view in the distance.
– Chronos, Mia sent a squad to cover our tracks so the hunters wouldn’t find us. Here’s a map. Maybe we should fly a little further. Pick up the hunters?
    Chronos studied the map closely.
– Slava, you’re staying behind in charge. Drop me off at the lake bank near the caves.
    And that was exactly what they did. Chronos, dressed in his golden clothes, descended from the airship to the ground and made his way towards the caves.
– Oh, what a shame, – Leolik thought. – I’d love to watch Mia greeting him.
    Leolik approached the airship’s pilot.
– What’s your name, fellow?
– Call me Zhorik.
– Zhorik, here’s the map. Look, we need to fly to the next lake. And as fast as possible.
    Zhorik nodded. Then Leolik saw the ground rapidly receding below and it was as if the entire map unfolded before him in real life. The airship was racing forward.
– How fast are we going? How many kilometres per hour are we speeding? – he asked Zhorik.
– Well, probably two hundred per hour.
– Not bad! And look, there are black dots on the shore! Man, I wish I had binoculars!
    Slava walked over to the window, holding a huge pair of binoculars. He was staring intently for a long time, then gave Zhorik an order.
– Zhorik, come on, go down there, those are the myargs, and it looks like they’re being chased. Semyon, get ready to land. Those are your hunters, so you should go and calm them down. Put on the communication collar. Leolik, give him your knife. We haven’t even brought any weapons.
    The airship descended lower, and it became clear that six myargs were running along the lakeshore. Behind them, about two hundred meters away, people were chasing them. One of them was on horseback. Everyone noticed the airship. Zhorik maneuvered the airship right between the two groups and hovered at a low altitude.
– Semyon, lower the basket.
– Yeah, ready, – the voice came from the speaker on the control panel in the navigation room.
    The gondola landed, and Semyon stepped out. He headed towards the horseman and the others.
    They stopped.
– What a surprise! Lord Cunningham, how did you end up here? I thought I sent you to the East, why have you found yourselves on the West?
– Don’t trust that crook! – Kesha’s voice boomed through the speaker.
    Leolik was surprised by the collar’s capabilities. It could even transmit sound from external sources.
– I wonder, – he thought, – if his collar has similar capabilities. I should ask Slava about that in more detail.
– Why so, dear Lord? Don’t you recognize me? King Arseniy?
– That's it, you’ve been trapped! We don’t have a king anymore, we have an emperor now! And it seems you don’t even know that. So you’re an imposter, and even more, you’re wearing a collar. So you’re not the real one. Grab him, guys.
– Kesha, Kesha. Well, you’ve always been a fool. I’m surprised how quickly your ass healed, apparently Leolik hasn’t beat it enough. I can beat it up even worse.
– Don’t listen to him. Grab him and tie him up. And let’s chase those devils.
    Innokentiy’s men pounced on Arseniy. He was fighting back, but they still knocked him down and tied him up.
– Leolik, Slava. Save the myargs, these idiots won’t back down, – the voice came over the speaker. – They’re trying to shut me up…
    Slava ordered Zhorik to slowly fly the airship away from the scene and contact Chronos. Once the connection was established, he reported the incident to Chronos.
– I’ll check with Mia right now, how many myargs was sent. How many of them do you see? There must be six.
– Yeah, Chronos, we saw six of them.
– Leave Semyon alone. We’ll free him later. And, if you can, bring the myargs. There are some myargs among them who had seen Leolik. Have him come down, maybe they’ll believe him.
    Slava ordered the airship to be raised higher. Kesha’s men tried to shoot the aircraft with their bows, but the arrows didn’t reach it. They caught up with the myargs quickly, flying far ahead along their course. Leolik jumped into the basket quickly, and they lowered him to the ground. He leaped out of the basket and headed towards the myargs. They spotted him. He sensed it and stood calmly, waiting. One of them emerged from the bushes and slowly approached Leolik.
– Yoik?
– Yeah, dear. Call the myargs, hurry up and follow me.
    The myarg muttered something, and five more emerged from behind the bushes. Some of them were carrying spears, while others had crossbows. Leolik turned and headed towards the airship. The myargs followed him. They were moving silently. When they reached the basket, Leolik beckoned one of them to go with him. He approached him and fearlessly climbed into the basket. The basket rose into the air. Slava was already waiting for them in the cabin.
– Slava, connect this handsome guy with Mia, or the others won’t believe us.
– Leolik, got it. Let’s go to the cabin room. Mia will be on the line in a minute.
    The myarg was looking around and gripping his spear tightly. Leolik and Slava invited him into the cabin room. When the myarg heard his native language coming from the speaker, he was taken aback. He was asking several times to repeat. In his own language. And he was shaking his head in surprise. Finally, he said:
– Mia. Mia, – he said, glancing back at Leolik.
    They lowered him down in the basket. He shouted something to his men, and they quickly jumped into the basket. Everyone was on board except King Arseniy. Leolik invited them into the cabin room by the window. The aircraft quickly flew towards the familiar basin with the lake. When the myargs saw their home lake and the caves from above, they calmed down completely. The airship slowed down and hovered. Leolik beckoned the myargs, and they were lowered in the basket to the ground. The myargs ran out of the caves. They were bustling around the basket. There were many myarg children. Slava came out of the cabin room.
– Leolik, I’ll be in charge of the winch, and you lead the myargs among the cabins. There aren’t that many of them, about a hundred. It’ll be night soon, so we have to to try to take everyone out in one go. I hope the airship has enough lifting capacity.
    All the myargs were picked up in an hour. Leolik spotted Barsik and Muria among the children. They were holding the rackets he had made for them. They were overjoyed to see Leolik. He ruffled their hair.
    Chronos and Mia were the last to be picked up.
    Chronos ordered Zhorik to fly home, to the tower. The sun was almost setting. Leolik sat down in an arm-chair in the cabin room. He was terribly tired from the day’s events. And he fell asleep.