He began to wear the artifact from the age of fourteen, after which another miracle happened. In dreams, Tant saw a city in the rocks, and someone's voice repeated a word similar to the name: "Mirai". There also appeared a door with skulls, which was described in the diaries of the Nismant Christabel, who came to this city along with the people of Baron Rainier.
- Find an ancient city. Open the mysterious door. Looks like some kind of fairy tale, - the old man said with a smile. “I think you've been lucky twice. First, I dug up the memory of Mirai, enclosed in a stone, and then Christabel's diaries.
- And the door? Why wasn't it opened when the city was robbed?
“ Renier was a petty merchant from Crag Feron. He just wanted to get rich, but there was enough good here. Plus, the door is creepy. It remains to be seen what powers are hidden behind it.
Tant caught the hint in the accountant's words. The old man knew a little more than the rest about the expedition and expressed his opinion, even when he was not asked.
“ The day of the last light will happen by the will of Nismass. The door has nothing to do with it, - said Tant, hiding the amulet. “I once told a dream to Thorgrim, and he said that the tide cannot be diverted by a wall of sand. Poetic?
“ Your abbot is right. You are still young, Lord Tantabas. Now I'm sixty-two. For me, the last light may come any day.
– And what?
“ It’s right for old people to be afraid of death, but when young people tremble at the sight of a skull, it’s stupid. Mark my words. If you think bad things, bad things will happen.
Ravian patted his shoulder thoughtfully. Tanta was always annoyed by this trait of his character. The old people loved to teach the young, but he himself was no longer young. In the spring he turned twenty-nine.
“ Old man, I will soon begin to regret telling you about the dream. Too bad I don't have any friends besides you and Thorgrim.
What about Wistan?
Tantus nodded and looked down at his hand, as white as the surface of the moon. The sun, unlike the night luminary, was merciless, warming his skin so much that blisters began to appear on it. A strange illness drove away from him almost all the brothers in the order. Had it not been for the intercession of Abbot Thorgrim, he might have remained a layman altogether. Only these three, not counting the little Kord, treated him with warmth; Wistan also because he was an eccentric. Nismant lived in the library and knew everything about the creators. They might have gone here together if the abbot had not sent a bookman to Gotford to take the place of the alms-gatherer.
" It's a pity Wistan isn't with us," Tant sighed ruefully. I need his advice more than ever.
- So follow him. They won't notice.
The old man nodded towards the high wall, from behind which came the sound of laughter and the strumming of a lute. The rest of the companions rested by the fires in the camp nearby. Tant touched a leather sash with eight sheaths. Each contained an enchanted stone. In Gamelan they were called "bols". Any practitioner who had a sufficient supply of strength could work miracles with their help. Some caused fiery flashes, others could freeze something, there were those that awakened the dead, but the most useful ones were able to move in space. The main condition for such "jumps" was a charmed object - a "lighthouse", hidden at the place of arrival. A month ago, he made one such stone right here, burying a lighthouse in the garden near the manor.
“ You can move to Gotford. Clap and already there. Invite Wistan here.
“ It will take a lot of strength, and I need them here. He smiled and whispered in his ear. “I buried a beacon in the slums, next to Gonther's tower. I'll be there out of thin air. Imagine what beggars will think when they see my pale face.
Ravian burst out laughing, but quickly fell silent as the sound of slapping came from below. An orange dot flashed on one of the streets. Soon his first assistant Holden appeared at the foot. In the hands of the breathless young man was a torch. Sandals thudded against the stone slabs. Having crossed the square with the sagging mansions, the henchman in a scarlet half-robe went up to them along the steps carved into the rock.
- Master Tantabas! he breathed, pulling up the slipped peplum. “I found a secret mechanism. All as you said! Right there!
He pointed to a nearby slope, where stood a towered fortress with the remains of a gate.
– Are you sure?
- There was no secret staircase, but I had to turn the rings on the walls. Then there was a rumble from below. I went down to the sanctuary and checked everything. Door opened.
Tanta swayed. If only everything was that simple. They had inspected the bastion at the beginning of autumn, but this morning he dreamed of moonlight flowing from the cellars like water into the temple. It is incredible that the door mechanism was placed so high, but the creators, apparently, counted on this.
- It's high time. We’ve been waiting for a bite for a month already,” Kord’s displeased voice was heard from the garden.
The shaggy boy finished meditating and stepped over the fence, tightening the belt on his jacket along the way. Together they looked up at the bastion, and then at the stepped pediment of the sanctuary below. The fortress above was built of shale, whitened by the moonlight. The basalt bulk below, on the other hand, remained black and inhospitable.
- Gather everyone! Tante commanded. - We're going down!
“ Yller and Sebastian are already there. I met them in the sacristy under the sanctuary,” Holden said, running towards the camp.
“ What are those fools doing there at this hour?”
- Looking for treasures. I probably shouldn't have told them about the door. Both went there.
Tante clutched his head.
- Fools! This Sebastian is always on his mind. If he wasn't from the south, I wouldn't have taken him!
“ Only such a tyrant could ride a witch,” the old man concluded with a grin.
While the companions stuffed the bales, Tant read the midnight prayer. The fiery lord Nismass, whom the Nismant served, supported life in the world of people with the help of the sun and protected them from darkness. He gave him the strength to find this place. Everything was his will. Thus spoke Abbot Thorgrim and Prior Alvin, the most holy men on the island. Tant believed them and did not understand only one thing - for which Nismass sent him a solar disease. Why did he accept a Nismanta who is afraid of his greatest creation?
- Let it be. All your will and your light everywhere,” he whispered, putting both palms to his forehead.
When Ravian and Kord finished packing, Tant was already outside with the others. Many were impatient to go down. The skinny yeoman's eyes sparkled especially brightly. Rick was their guide, slippery as a leech but reliable. More than once he had to lead people to the north and gut the burial caves. The rest Tant took as porters, including three kenovian minions.
Rick and now went ahead. Following the guide, they descended into a stunted square at the foot and headed towards the temple square. Nine lights floated briefly among the remains of houses and soon crossed the arched bridge under the outpost. The black temple towered above them in three stepped tiers, and even higher the moon filled the gorge with a marble glow.
Along a wide corridor they entered the prayer hall. The temple seemed spacious at the entrance, but the tunnels narrowed below. Having descended the stairs to the fourth tier, they lined up in a chain.
From the depths, the voices of Üller and Sebastian gradually began to be heard.
Descending even deeper, Tant let Rick go ahead, and he himself took out a fire whirlwind bola. For a month they did not find a single cadaver in the city, but anything could be waiting outside the door.
On the fifth tier, the narrowest and most musty, Kord tugged at the sleeve of his robe.
“ Hey Master Tant. Do you think they'll accept me? I'm a rogue.
– What? he asked, letting Holden walk past.
- Will be accepted as news. I am learning to control my breathing. I can meditate, but so what? Kord complained, running the torch across the wall. I am the son of a fisherman and a knitter. My parents are stupid. Do you think I'm better?
“ Nismants are not by birthright, Kord. You're twelve and you're a capable guy. The time will come when I will introduce you to the abbot.
- And then I will study until gray hair? Maybe I should follow the path?
Tant looked at him in confusion, not understanding how the boy knew about this. Recently, one of the brothers did just that. Likir was a gifted but cruel young man. At twenty-two, he was tired of studying, and he demanded to expel himself from the monastery. It was a dangerous ritual in which not only the spiritual, but also the physical strength of the future nismant was tested. Together with him, three brothers joined the “path of practice”. It is not known what happened in the wilderness, but Likir returned alone, and there was too much scarlet on his scarlet half-robe. On the same day, the young man's memory was erased, and in the morning he was initiated into nismant.
“ You yourself told me about the path,” reminded the fisherman’s son. – Can I also go through it and become a practitioner? We will become equal and we will search for treasures together.
And forget to think! - Tant stopped the boy and pressed his hand against the wall. “Do you understand me, Kord? The path of practice is suicide, and I need you alive.
- Do you need me?
The scruffy youth smiled ingratiatingly, but his eyes wandered uneasily.
“ We have a lot of passion in the port about kenovia. They say you sacrifice children there.
- Nonsense! Nismant will not offend a child, - Tant said, and added wryly, - but we will make an exception for you. Now don't distract me. There may be traps ahead.
They came to the iron gates. The right gate was open. Everyone except Ravian and Kord followed the guide. Tant paused too, examining the texture of the gate. Each section was divided into seven parts and looked like a rack on which skulls lined up instead of books. Tant ran his fingers over one of them. Fifteen years had passed since he had first seen that door in his dream, and now it was open.
There was a deafening roar from below. Tantus took off from his seat, feeling in his gut that the southerners had done something bad, and he was not mistaken. A series of steep steps led him to a pillared transmission hall.
- Hey! Look what we found! Yuller's voice was heard.The marauders stood in the center of the rectangular hall, and next to them, on a plinth, was a sarcophagus. The broken lid lay on the floor.“ In the name of Nismass!” Don't you dare! he shouted, pointing his hand with the bola at the southerners. - You know the laws! It is forbidden to open sarcophagi, urns and graves.Sebastian was the first to step back. The southerner wore a green jersey with brown puffs. He was short, with thick bristles, and was always carrying the mirror of his wicked wife in a case on his belt. The upturned nose and long golden hair made him handsome, and Üller's presence made him dumb.“ So there was nothing in it,” Sebastian muttered, pulling his comrade along with him, “except for these glass pieces. It's not a grave, your reverend.Tant looked around the high hall and not noticing anything remarkable except for six arched passages, he approached the sarcophagus. Ten men stood around him holding torches
A wide yellow strip went around the center of the hall and closed in on itself, forming a circle. A myriad of tiny ornaments were burned into it, among which the triangle most often came across. He had seen something similar before. Magorsky Nismanty called such figures "seals of Griefer." Filled with gold or silver, they absorbed spells and protected people who fell into their space.After making sure that the hall was safe, Tant called the others. The companions entered all at once, quickly looked around and began to whisper in displeasure.“ There’s nothing here,” one of the porters concluded. “Slag and dust all around. Let's go before the ceiling collapses.What about under your feet? Yuller said, touching the seal. “It's gold, bastard. Judging by the brilliance, the purest sample.“ Okay, then I’ll go to the camp for pickaxes.He headed for the exit, but the thick-set Taur blocked his path, reminding him that he shouldn't walk alone.- Hey! Look at this, ”Corda’s ringing voice ra
He looked at the barrier and shook his head critically. History was repeating itself, or the gods were simply mocking him. Opening one door, he found another. Sweeping his hand across the ice beam, Tant touched the triangle pattern. A similar bas-relief was laid out on the wall near the waterfall.Sending a firefly there, he strode down the stairs, looking at the wall pattern. There were triangles everywhere, but this one was the biggest. Its top looked down, and from each side stretched a jagged blade, the end of which rested on a sphere.Still not sure where he was, Tant went down to the water and looked at the piles of mossy clay near the waterfall. The embankment, which occupied a good half of the hall, grew there for a reason. If there was a way out, it was right behind her.“ The water is salty,” Tant said, bringing a handful to his lips. We are definitely not in the mountains. Probably near the east coast.– Why with the eastern one? - I heard the angry voice of Taur.“ Because
As soon as the stuffiness of the dungeon was replaced by an icy wind of voids, Tant held his breath. They raced through the darkness. In flight, Holden's grip loosened, and he had to hold his assistant by the sash. The movement did not stop immediately, and the darkness dissipated gradually. The outlines of the mountains appeared, the gate towers of the monastery and a long bridge between them. The light of the moon shone. They landed in the middle of a vast courtyard.- Saved! Holden howled as he collapsed onto the cobbled square. “Praise be to Nismass, Nygme, and all the saints!”“ Taur and Engure are still there. We need to go back for them, ”Tant said, looking at the basilica with the bell tower in front.- Nope. Engure is finished,” Kord whispered, panting with difficulty. - I saw him drapanul into the tunnel, without light.Silas kicked him, explaining that the Nismante Order did not abandon their brothers even after death.- He's right. Even if Engure is dead, his body must be
The question puzzled Tant. He did not want to talk about the terrible temple and the deceased kenovia in front of everyone. However, Thomas quickly rescued him.“ But what the hell is the difference. Yes? Losses don't count in this fucking world.The wry-nosed one just waved his hand and went to the shelves, where there was an entrance to the kitchen extension. Tant and Holden sat closer to Kord.“ Maybe she won’t follow us after all?” whispered the hearer.“ I hope so,” whined the fisherman’s son. - This fury will not put the whole city to sleep.“ Yes, the city is already sleeping,” he whispered angrily. – What are you hoping for? After kenovia, this creature will even look for us in Tantalia.What if she's been here for a long time? Waiting for us to leave?Tantus glanced at the closed shutter. With such strength, he would have brought the matter to the end in her place.“ Tell them the truth,” Kord suggested, holding the pitcher to his lips. “Let everyone come with us to Master Wi
The darkness was unimaginably thick. He couldn't move for a long time. The feeling of immobility was akin to nighttime numbness. Lying on the cold floor, he tried to open his eyes, but, as before, he could not see anything.Not immediately, but he managed to separate his fingers and feel for the pouches at his waist. A magical firefly dispersed the darkness. Launching it, Tant went cold. He saw a stunted stream of a waterfall and a bas-relief with a triangle. At the top behind the stairs was a black door with an outlandish lock. Kord lay nearby. Tantus scooped up water from the lake and splashed it in his face." Master, are we alive?" Kord whispered, raising his head. - It's hard to breathe ... Oh, I dreamed that I was at sea with my father and the boat capsized.Taking a deep breath, Tant called Taur and Engure, but no one answered. Kord gave a strangled cough, tugging at his bandage. The cough made sense. Tanta followed his gaze and froze. An eyeless woman stared at them from the g
441 years from the founding of the kingdom of MagoriaToward midnight, a thick fog filled the valleys of Myrkhold, rolled over the hills and climbed the coastal cliffs. Soon the whole island was covered with a whitish veil, from which the peaks of mountain ranges protruded like spears. The port of Gotford at this time resembled a ditch in flames, thanks to the scattered light of the torches in the hands of the militia. Dozens of people lined up on the pier, watching the ships gliding through the haze.The first to enter the bay was a two-masted ship. By the wooden figure on the bow, depicting a lady with a snake tail instead of legs, any inhabitant could recognize the Astrid caravel. Passing a rocky island at the edge of the bay, the caravel lay down to drift. The bell sounded. As soon as the ship froze near the shallows, a signal was given from the shore to board the boats. On board, they began to prepare for the descent of goods, but before starting, the team took care of the sea wa
The light of the sunset sky filled the forest with magical colors. Late evening in the middle valley, as usual, began with a play of shadows. The sun was slowly sinking behind the mountain line, lengthening the shadows of the trees, which lived their own lives at that hour. Colliding with each other, they crawled from the edge into the thicket, clinging with ghostly branches to the forest canopy.Vegetation was sparse near the fields. There were barns and farmhouses everywhere. Along the roads, wooden windmills cut the air with their blades. Plowed land darkened up to the mountains. This piece of land people won back from the wild three hundred years ago. Most of the predators preferred to avoid the valley. The only constant enemies of the peasants were wolves, earth-biters and shaggy mirquichts. Like bears, Mirquichts lived in dens and caves, and at nightfall they roamed the forests in search of food. In the valley they appeared infrequently, but it was still not safe to leave the ho