NEW WORLD

10

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 houses after dark.

At the end of the day, the peasants continued to work. Only those who, due to age, were left to their own devices, remained free. The magic hour of tridvor found five children at the edge of the forest. Shouting and knocking each other down, each chose a weapon to his liking, throwing sticks, stones or showering dry leaves at opponents. Excited by the game of tag, they ran deeper and deeper into the forest, ignoring the melting rays of the sun.

The first line of peasants was approaching Godwin's farm when the children climbed to the top of the Stone Tower. The sun-dried platform above the forest met them with familiar warmth. Seated in a circle, they turned their eyes to the orange disk that had just touched the mountain range to the west.

“ Now it’s time,” ordered the girl with brown hair.

" Are you sure no one saw us?" mumbled the fat boy, looking down. - My father forbade me to go to the forest in the evening.

- What's the difference. No one will climb the tower.

The others nodded, proudly surveying their hideout. The place they called "The Tower" was a gigantic megalith that appeared in the valley long before the arrival of the first colonists. Its sides were covered with witch symbols and the outlines of the constellations. From the moment they met, this shelter served as their second home. Adults also knew about the "Tower" and drove them away from here more than once, but not everyone managed to climb up the first time.

“ Now collect your thoughts, as I taught you. Think of one thing, the girl demanded sternly. - And stop talking. Witchcraft loves silence!

The boys obediently fell silent and closed their eyes. Everyone thought about the oath they were going to take that evening. The idea to carry out the ritual belonged to a small peasant woman. She also forced the boys to learn the words laid down at the Nismass altar, and took care of the talismans. For these purposes, each sawed off a piece from a century-old oak branch, turning it into an ornament in the form of a sword.

They started the ritual not for the sake of fun, but only one who was born far from the city walls could fully understand this. In the vastness of Gamelan, people died under the blows of blades and arrows, but even more often they were killed by nature. The wild world of the island was unpredictable. Like a stormy sea, he could swallow anyone at any moment. Children among these victims occupied a special place. Unarmed, gullible and stupid, they flew like moths to the fire and disappeared without a trace; and better without a trace. Quite differently, their friend Robin died a month ago. Climbing into the burial cave, the boy realized too late that the tall man who began to tickle his back was actually a dead man who wanted to skin him.

On that day, after losing a friend, they decided that they would always stick together.

- Let's hurry! We still have to go back, - the boy with curly hair hurried.

- Yes. Hurry up, - the thin boy timidly screwed in, looking at the sea of ​​​​leaves below. “I don’t want Mirquicht to tear me off with his horns on the way back.

Relax , Grim. It doesn’t take much strength to tear off such a lamb,” the fair-haired boy burst out laughing, putting his hand in his pants. - Everyone knows who in the valley is most often bent stern up.

The other two boys laughed. The merry fellow was about to say something else, but the girl in the brown dress extended her leg and deftly kicked him in the stomach with her heel.

" Shut up, Grog!" she shouted, staring at the tomboy with eyes as blue as rock crystal. “Enough of hurting Grimbald already. You city bent over at least.

“ So what? It doesn't count when it's five on one.

- Still how it is considered! - supported curly fat man. – Remember the eldest son of Patrick, well, the flawed one who was fucked in the mines of Pineroot?

- Dash, right? Grimbald asked cautiously.

- Precisely. They say that four convicts tore him off at once.

“ Yeah, in line with three guards,” a pale-faced guy with a flattened nose chuckled. - I do remember. In the pastures of Sargon, he is still called Leaky Dashi.

A sharp gust of wind forced him to shut up. The five turned their eyes to the south, where the wave of cold had come from. There, beyond the arable land and the cliffs, the peaks of the Ore Mountains darkened, and along the reed lake stretched a road along which gangs of boys from Gottford constantly descended into the valley.

“ Let's see how the oath will protect us from the city mundaks,” the fat man sang out, remembering someone's words. “It’s not an oath that is needed, but a club!”

- Not mundaks, but assholes. You don’t even know how to swear properly,” the fair-haired man burst out laughing, pulling his friend by the tangled mane. “I would like to break them in at least once so that they see the last light!” You are right. Instead of these swords, clubs should be cut out.

“ Not an oath will protect, but we will protect each other,” the girl explained, hitting the wit sitting next to him on the knee with her fist. - And I'm tired of beating you! Stop talking or the magic won't work.

The boys fell silent again, looking at the peasant woman.

“ Now close your eyes and listen.

The girl collected her thoughts and began to slowly pronounce the words:

I swear to a friend by the end of the day,

May his strength save me.

I promise to be honest with him

Always be there, protect, love,

Stay together until the end of days

Appreciating and respecting only their friends.

So be it, and with the announcement of these words,

Together we will crush our enemies!

There was a loud click. Leaves rustled. A smile broke out on the girl's tanned face. The silence continued. The boys opened their eyes. The magic caster looked around at the company.

- Well, how?

“ In rhyme and stupidly,” summed up the shaggy lad. “Family by the Stream is my favorite. You could take a verse from there.

“ Now read on,” the blue-eyed woman asked, giving the word to the boy on the right. - Grog, start.

- That's stupidity.

- You promised! Have I been writing this verse all week for nothing?

It 's amazing that she wrote it at all. You learned to speak correctly only at three, - the swarthy boy giggled, rubbing his hardened fists.

- Yeah, Ferg. But she was cursing like a docker already in the cradle, - picked up Grog. - Although, why be surprised. If I had such a drunk dad...

– Read! the girl growled through her teeth.

Grog sighed doomedly and mumbled the words of the oath without intonation. Then the other three boys took turns repeating the verse, often stammering and asking questions. When they had finished, the girl pulled five wooden talismans from a leather pouch and passed the swords around with mock solemnity.

Stretching forward a thin brush with a tightly clenched fist, in which she held a talisman, the peasant woman looked at the others. The boys followed suit, joining their hands in the center of the circle.

Looking into everyone's eyes, the girl solemnly said:

I am Cassia! I swear to fulfill my oath.

The rest began to repeat in the same sequence in which they received the talismans:

- I'm Fergus! I swear to fulfill my oath.

- I'm Werf! I swear to fulfill my oath.

I am Grimbald! I swear to fulfill my oath.

- I'm Grog. I swear to fulfill the oath, - the boy said without intonation.

The scarlet glow behind the mountains finally faded. Now the valley was illuminated only by the expanse of heaven. At the same moment, a new gust of wind hit the top of the Stone Tower, but the crowns of the trees around did not move.