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Venerable Rees-Shavkhun, the Supreme judge of Darnat, looked at first at the scroll lying before him then at the person who was looking at the judge with servility, expecting when his honor deigns to answer his question. And it is necessary to concentrate to answer. The venerable judge just could not make it in any way. He wanted silence and rest. Yesterday's libations still reminded of themselves with a stupid headache. His eyes stuck together when he tried to read scrolls of the affairs demanding consideration. He was eager to be at home, in a cool, in a bed. And here still this applicant ...
— I will think, — Rees-Shavkhun told, without lifting up eyes. — At first it is necessary to interrogate the defendant.
— Of course, of course, The Light of Truth. But kind master Abnun humbly asked about ... the special relation to this case. After all honorable person is killed, killed rascally, in the face of many witnesses.
— I will think.
— Kind master Abnun asked you, The Light of Truth, to accelerate adjudgement.
— Why is such haste? — Rees-Shavkhun nevertheless raised eyes on the visitor. — Legal proceedings put difficult.
— The accused is only the dirty slave.
— The libertine, — the judge corrected. — Which has been an idol of common people for three years. But we should not speak about it, Shabak. If you have nothing more to tell me ...
— Oh, absolutely forgot! — The secretary of the owner of Big Circus pulled a ring with fine diamond of bluish water from a finger and put it with bow and well played guilty smile on the table before judge. — This is a little gift master Abnun most low asked to accept from him in honor and worship.
— Already the second, — the judge told.
— What the second? — Shabak did not understand.
— You are the second one who tries to put off a bribe to me today. Since morning there was the first ... What does your owner want? To sentence the maid to death? In all case she won`t escape the executioner's block.
— You truly desired to notice that the damned Seltonian has been a celebrity for three years. She could have influential defenders.
— And what`s from this?
— I have heard that it is time to equip "the death ship", — having passed to whisper, Shabak told.
— Ah, what you mean! — The judge shook the head. — I thought that your owner wants to look how the executioner will rip the maid at Breathings Square.
— I am happy that you understood me, kind master.
— All right, — the judge took the scroll and kind of accidentally brushed away the ring from table to his knees. — I will dispose about the maid. Say Abnun my hello and wishes of health.
— Hey, woman!
Casta raised the head. The bolt rang out, and the tall person in black entered the cell.
— Rise! -he ordered quietly.
Casta obeyed. The person got up so that light from a tiny window of the cell fell to face of Casta. She could not see his face — the unknown was without torch.
— I have come to tell you, woman, that the High Court considered your case. You are sentenced to death, — told the black.
— Considered my case? — Casta took away dirty and sticky hair from face. — Even without having listened to me? Truly, it is a top of justice!
— Your words are offensive. But now it is not so important. Tomorrow at sunrise you will be beheaded at Breathings Square publicly.
— "The black raven, the messenger of death, wants to frighten me", — Casta sang, contemptuously grinned. — Do you think, I am afraid? You are mistaken.
— Under the law on the eve of the execution you have a right for a bath and a dinner at the expense of the state treasury worth no more than eight kavash. After that you will be transferred to other cell where you will spend this night till the morning.
— Very good custom, — Casta swallowed the lump which got stuck in throat. — And will you let me the handsome man at the expense of treasury? I do not want to spend the last night alone.
— Dirty whore! — hissed the black and left cell.
Casta fell by straw. The blind horror which captured her when she heard about sentence passed a little, there was only an opposite weakness in legs and feeling of full hopelessness. Tomorrow she is being executed. Dinche deceived her. No release will exist. Well, she must be strong. Eventually, her tortures will end tomorrow. And then ... then she will meet Elea. And Aylor. And mother. More than three years she thought of this meeting. It is left to very little to wait.
She was in catalepsy till the minute the new visitor again entered her cell — this time the yellow-faced jailer familiar to her and two security guards with him. She was lifted a hail, ordered to follow them. Brought down, into the cellar of a tower. There were a flank with hot water and the laid table waiting for her.
Even several hours prior to the death people could be happy, Casta thought, washing away with pleasure sticky prison dirt. Moreover, such minutes life seems especially fine. Casta washed, spilling water, sighing and moaning from pleasure, without paying attention to security guards who were watching her. She didn`t care they looked at her. Let them stare — maybe at least once in their life they will see the beautiful woman. In some sense executioners took pity on her: tomorrow on a scaffold she won`t look like a dirty pig. The weak but real consolation. And then she put on and sat down at the table. The wine offered her was sour, meat — underdone, bread was gooey, and fruit were slightly begun to rot, but even this miserable dinner seemed to her extraordinary tasty. She was eating with greed until the dish became empty. And then she insufferably wanted to sleep. Casta wanted to tell the jailer that she wanted to be taken away to the cell, but her tongue did not obey her. Next moment the girl was tumbled down directly on the table, having poured the wine remains.
— Well, that's all, — the yellow-faced jailer told. — Now take her and bear in the vehicle. You will bring the first batch to the port and quickly return behind the others.
— It is a pity that she will be fed to fishes, — one of security guards told, looking at sleeping Casta. — I would look how the executioner will cut her head.
— Keep your nasty imaginations around, — told yellow-faced. — And what idiot thought up this law on sentenced? Bathe these swines, feed ... If I had my way, would hang all of them without any formalities. Move, we have a shitload of work. Six more villains remained, and I am not going to stick out here all night long.
CHAPTER 6
And after all gods love me, Vislav thought. The few can boast of the same health and endurance, as he can, Vis the Lucky. They will not call him the young man any more, but by this ghost ship he was the first who recovered. The others deeply sleeped in a hold, even without realizing what had happened to them.
Situation was really breath-taking. A month ago Vislav thought that all talks on the death ships, or the ghost ships as they also were called in Darnat — only thieves' folklore. There were spoken a lot about these ships among lucky guys in Darnat, but Vislav did not trust in all these cock-and-bull stories. It turned out that it was the truth. The most offensive thing was that he became a forced passenger of such ship.
After dark smelly hold it was twice pleasant to be on the deck. The cold beat of the sea quickly drove the weakness and slackness caused by action of sleepy potion which he had been hocused the day before in prison. Vislav set up face to sea wind with pleasure. Maybe the situation was hopeless, but there were pluses even in it. At least, now he won`t die in the stinking cell and not on the cross for quartering under the excited shouts of stupid common people, being covered with blood and rattling in agony. And he is free. He can stand on the deck and feel this wind on the face, inhale this wonderful salty sea smell which reminds of the homeland. And more — there was Casta with him by the ship of fateful.
Vislav recognized the girl at once, — he had seen her in circus for many times, — and his surprise was big. During the first moment he did not believe his eyes, but then, having considered the sleeping girl, after all understood that it was Casta herself. On a roundish suntanned shoulder of the girl had been skillfully made color tattoo which marked gladiators of Darnat circus — the black dragon surrounded with fire, the sign of the fact that the fighter was devoted to Geshtan, the god of war and bloodsheds flaunted. But how the terrible Seltonian the champion of Darnat beloved by all appeared on this vessel for sentenced to death? It would be clear when the crew of the ghost ship was made of any bandits but to sacrifice Casta the Amazon to the sea! Truly, there was something improbable in Darnat. Or he after all was mistaken, and this girl only the double of the well-known star of the arena?
— Hey! — Vislav slightly clapped the girl on cheeks. — Ehey!
Casta — or the girl amazingly similar to the famous amazon, — continued to sleep tight. Since that moment as the ship of fateful was brought out the Darnat bay and left on a will of wind and currents, several hours passed, but sleeping substance which pumped up prisoners before sending for the ship continued to work. Then Vislav charged the girl on shoulder and carefully stepped up from the hold first on the rowing deck, having put to edge of the hatch the thick board found in a hold, and then on the main deck. Having recovered the breath he once again tried to wake Casta and again achieved nothing.
— Well, sleep, beauty, sleep! — he muttered. — Perhaps fresh sea wind will be better alarm than me.
Here Vislav thought of the associates by misfortune sleeping in a hold. Sooner or later they will wake up, and then it would be possible to wait for anything. There is neither food nor water by the ship, the wheel does not work, the mast is cut down. The high sea was around and though sometimes seagulls appeared in the sky, they were too far from the coast to reach it by swimming. And which way to float — only Tsvir knew it! There were seven more people in the hold -the inveterate murderers robbers and rapists judging by their ugly faces and tattoos. Vislav noticed out one of them had breast tattoo in the form of the wolf head; those who at least once tried human flesh marked themselves with such tattoo in the Darnat prisons. Others weren`t better, the special sort of public. Of course, Casta — if only he were not mistaken, and this girl would be really Casta, — was the experienced and skillful fighter, however to cope with all of them if the fight began, she would not be able, especially without weapon. And it was also necessary to think of his own safety. He should think up something. There was full of any garbage in the hold. Vislav decided to go down and look what could be used for protection and self-defense from this stuff.
On the rowing deck was rather light — rays of light fell on top, also ports for oars filtered through holes in boards. And here below Vislav used the Spell of the Night Traveller to which he had been taught still being a student. Soft pink light allowed to make out hold, and also frightened off couple of rats who were selected to walk. At a bottom and heaps of ballast, together with bodies of sleeping fragments of barrels, pieces of the semi-decayed hemp and ropes, the broken ceramics, shabby boxes, some rags lay. From badly caulked boards water exuded, gathering in muddy pools between frames. Vislav understood that his search was vain. Anything worth. And then Vislav clearly heard someone's sobbing. Led a beam in a distant part of hold. Saw one more girl: having hidden in a corner, she looked after Vislav expanded for fear.
Vislav smiled, stepped to the girl. And then suddenly understood that was mistaken. This was not the little girl — the guy. Only some strange. A fair hair was too dense and long, still with traces of a skillful wave, and here and there in them grains of gold powder sparkled. Paint traces remained on eyelashes, the remains of shadows on eyelids. Skin on legs hands and breast was smooth, without a hair and silky from grindings. And nails — great gods! No doubts the guy was the gay person also got from some expensive lupanar here.
— Hi, handsome man! — Vislav told. — You woke up, nice. Ain`t you trying to remember how did you get here?
The guy made some strange sobbing sound, hid in a corner even more deeply. Vislav approached him closely, gave hand.
— Someone played a nasty joke with you, lad, — he told. — Truly, you did not please clients very much.
— Where am I? — the guy said, knocking teeth either from cold or for fear. — Who are you?
— At first I will answer the second question. I am Vislav. My friends call me the Lucky more often. Only this time I was not lucky in the same way as you, kid. And now answer to your first question. We are by the ghost ship. Heard about them?
— N-no, N — never.
— You see Darnat's authorities sometimes want to kill two hares at once — to save money on keeping of prisoners and to please gods. And they succeed and you and me are involuntary witnesses of their success. You shouldn`t be much smart to manage this joke — the old unusable vessel just undertakes, it is loaded with crew from the convicts hocused by a sleepy potion and removed in the sea. And it is not unprofitable for the authorities, and sea god is happy. Earlier I thought that these are only rumors, now I see that I was mistaken. And we are floating now by such kind of ship. Speaking on conscience, our business is lost.
— I ... I am not guilty of anything! — the guy began to whimper, smearing tears and dirt on face. — I only bought ... a ring. Wanted ... to present. And here are r-a-a-ats!
— Are you afraid of rats?
— I am afraid! — The strange guy began to cry absolutely like maiden, having hidden face in the palms. He was funny and pathetic at the same time.
— Not everything is so bad, kid, — Vislav tenderly patted the guy on the head. — If there are rats, so we will have something to devour. At least at first time.
— Eating ... rats? — The guy looked on Vislav with horror. — Yak!
— No choice. Mutton soup and fresh halvah will not be definitely brought to us ... Raise the bum, there is no sence to sit here.
The guy continued to complain. Vislav gave him a hand to help to rise, but the young man pushed it away.
— The hell with you! — Vislav muttered. — Want to sit in this rat hole, sit. I`m going upward. It stinks here like in the bum of the troll.
He already began to climb a board on the deck when heard rustle behind the back. The guy after all followed him.
— There now, and you went obstinate! — Vislav told. — What`s your name?
— Leodan. I am a favourite slave of fine Shemmer-Ta-Nat.
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