-It's all my fault again heard a despairing voice of the shepherd. I forgot to warn you, to you except this book is nothing more touching... It was a trap, and I lost sight of the...
-What is the trap?
-The books in leather bindings... To him you, and not only you, could not even touch. These are books on magic. Mere mortals they do not bring nothing but misery, loss of strength and health. Only yesterday you could just die... it's Strange, why is the energy taken from you, broke through the huge hole in the security field...
But I have nobody consuming energy.
Is not seen or felt. For those short moments that you held in the hands of the book and tried to still read them, of thy fingers, from your eyes, quietly took several years of your future life. Aren't you feel it? You just before you die, if... now if anyone would still be alive.
He fell silent again. And I also dwelt in silence, trying to absorb all that had just heard from him.
-Go to the monastery, " came very quietly, though it seemed amid the surrounding darkness, " there is no alternative. Otherwise all will perish.
He sighed:
"Yes, boy, did you mess. Come on, come on, where are these monsters.
-What monster? — 't think I.
-These books, in black leather bindings.
"Come, " I took him into the canopy. We have no kerosene. Pelageya followed him on the neighbours. Wanted me to go, but then she...
In the darkness broke match, and I shut the front door to the fire was not visible on the street.
-Where? — the shepherd began to climb the stairs, illuminating the space above his head.
Dull flame highlighted the ghostly outlines of the ceiling, stairs, black, yawning failure hatch, the figure of Ivan Noodles. Clumsily up where I'm crouched on the stairs, free hand gripped and seeks the poles ahead and looking up strongly narrowed eyes. His head was unnaturally thrown back, neck and left shoulder, and in his whole figure, мелькающей in the wrong, the dim light of a match, had a bit of tension and anticipation about anything in the next instant.
He climbed higher and higher, peeked into the attic. One match faded, he showed another, then a third.
Books lay there, where were left me last night. The shepherd went up to the attic, closed ляду — piece hatch cover and appeared only after some time, keeping all the books under his arm and quickly going down. When he was next to me, stretched forward thick book in a red velvet cover, pointing a finger at the hieroglyph:
"Do you see?
Golden color image was seriously cracked, faltered, and in some places altogether disappeared.
-What is it? — I did not understand what he wants me to say.
-Gold облезло, — said the shepherd. — It all away from them.
He nodded to the black, just chapped centuries, gloomy, as I felt, even in appearance, books.
-Let us now is not to waste time! Faster, faster!
-Where, where will we go?! — I could hardly keep up with Ivan Noodles, who walked down the dark street, heading to the house Barbara surprisingly quickly, widely, and decisively.
The next minute I was next to Ivan on the porch of her house.
-So, — Ivan, apparently, was not going to go into details. — I was on the way there, — he nodded at the front door of the hut barbarians, " you got to be here, there hasn't come in. If suddenly appear barbarian... But she already doesn't do anything...
He touched my arm and down, pulling from the porch on the ground, hesitated for a while, then said:
-In General, let's get out of here. I'll do it my mistake. You are to me, all the same, not assistant. For in vain just can do you harm. Go, let's отсюдова as quick as possible, now. And remember, if by morning I get back, then, is in trouble. Then the next night, ready, steady, go to Alena, she be home, it's all there, she knows everything. Work — does not get you anything — the next morning to go away. Go away, run away, уползай. — do whatever you want, but you have to leave the next morning. It is not your destiny, I know it. You came here quite by chance, and all that happens, happened and still is happening is not lawful for you to damage your journey through life.
He paused, looking back at the house Barbara. In this moment from behind the clouds in the sky looked round-faced young, bright Moon. Ivan Noodles looked at her and said, like myself something explaining or suggesting:
-Full moon.
The moon hid behind a cloud. The shepherd he stayed yet, then punched me on the shoulder, apparently, thus saying goodbye, and insisted that I went, and recaptured the book under both hands, went to the door, pushed it open.
-What about the vampires? I stopped him by the unexpected escape question.
-Today can sleep peacefully. They are here not for money. Because I'm going THERE. And tomorrow do-it-all, as I said, if I do not return.
The door was shut, lingeringly squeaking, and I remained alone.
Village like it died. No single spark, any lamp, not a candle, as if all time residents left their homes and moved away, and I remained alone among their abandoned houses. Pelageya somewhere запропастилась, never returned from a campaign for kerosene.
Home to Пантелеевне't want to go. There was too dark and scary as it is here, on the street and may be even stronger, so I decided to remain here with the expectation immediately retreat barely feel that returns Varvara.
Painfully pulled minutes. I continually imagined that in the East it was dawn the next day, but every time I was wrong. Instead of ten was only a minute, and sometimes excitement for the barbarian's "прикатиться back and finds the home of her former husband and worst enemy, and me, whom she had hunted like visiting a kitten, at the threshold of the door, excitement, which hardly it amplified, immediately collapsed and frantically began to pound my heart was becoming unbearable.
I sat down on the top step of the porch, leaning on the railing and almost fell asleep, сморенный fatigue. Waking up once again, I realized that reveal himself too easy prey, and so they must either leave or try to enter the house to Varvara: curiosity глодало inside me, like a worm.
Finally, I decided, stood up boldly strode over to the door and, opening it, run in the gap. Once immediately in беспросветном darkness. When he walked forward, I was surprised and some excitement discovered that go down the stairs leading down. The smell of damp and mould. My hands, feeling their way, stumbled now and then on the earthy, damp walls of the corridor, where I suddenly found myself. Already quite deep somewhere, I regretted that I had started this adventure, but for a long time there were only midnight, crude darkness, Yes narrow earthen walls.
The journey is delayed, when suddenly the darkness ahead became lighter, then посветлел another, and to my surprise I found myself in a completely unfamiliar terrain. Besides, around was another day, and the sun was beginning to fall to the West.
Around me is spread huge garden, and, may be, Park. For its big, old trees, вытянувшимися high into the sky and spread branched crowns wide apart, could see the shape high, up to ten metres, a powerful fortress of the fence.
On the other from my hand, also at a distance, in a green haze surrounding gardens were visible walls of the huge monastery, totally lacking any маковок domes on its tower and chapels.
All around it was quiet and not see a single soul.
Presented before me the picture seemed to dream about the green summer, and long before the pain Ter eyes as much to the surprise understood, understood that not sleeping, and that everything around is not a Mirage and not a hallucination, capable to fall apart at any moment to indiscriminate fragments, but the reality is the same reality, as is the dark night, from which only that I got here.
Pinching myself to frighten up blood for a thigh I went on a thick, polegshey from moisture, grass buildings of the monastery, возвышавшимся ahead, focusing on the trampled down the grass, testifying that recently someone was here.
Trail to a small, unmarked door in a solid wall, one of the side buildings, connected with the main walkway. I opened the door, went inside and up the spiral staircase ascended, went transition and found himself in a dark huge hall, with blinds drawn over the heavy, black-out curtains Windows, seemed to me somehow familiar.
In the midst of the hall, in the far side of it came down like the rise, and, closer I saw that this throne, ordinary throne, where important pose sits someone, but nice Ivan Noodles and gives him a book which he brought with him.
Fearing that the notice me, I hid behind the door, but it is not felt safe. Nobody was around, but the feeling that someone walks, moves past the dark corridors of the castle, 't leave me. Desire somewhere to hide grew stronger and stronger, and I decided to leave the building and return. Looking finally at the crack between the doors to the great hall, I froze in surprise. He who sat on the throne, stood up to full height, and whether he himself or his shadow became huge, to the ceiling. Ivan noodles stood before him now tiny propped up his head and kept in the hands of books. But here he swung and threw all of them, except what was in the red cover, to the foot of the throne.
Falling to the floor, thick, black leather-bound book sparked green glow. The radiance of it began to grow. Ivan Noodles retreated a step, then another step, and before him all at once, barely glow asleep, rose black army. Shiny swords and spears and its a terrible sounds.
Ivan took a step back and threw the red book.
As she fell, as there is illuminated with blue light, and as soon as it disappeared behind the Ivan appeared white army, the armed Golden swords and shields. Ivan stood up in front with a big silver shield.
Towering over the throne flared up, to the ceiling, have gathered there in a black cloud and rushed from there on Ivan, but that in time hid behind a shield and only fell on the stone floor of the hall.
Black hordes was much larger than the white armies behind Ivan, and I was thinking that they will not be easy.
Meanwhile, a black cloud rushed into the second attack and turn to him with their Ivan slipped farther into the ranks of the white soldiers and прошибла them thoroughly, leaving a huge gap.
Black mass went on the offensive, наползла on trying to get to his feet Ivan Noodles. Rows of white flinched, but didn't. A hole in their ranks became protracted. Ivan, dragging the shield, отползал, until he raised white soldiers. Wall, black and white, join with each other, лязгнув iron, and a black cloud, again gathered under the ceiling of the hall, rushed to the white armies of the top. Separate red flash turned into a glow that in the next second, to fill the entire room and reached the door, which I, half in fear, watched the scene, even with bated breath.
I only managed to shrink, as in the slot gave heat, the door was opened, слетев with loops, and размозжились, брызнув chips, and searing flame burst out into the hallway, almost licking me his bloodthirsty languages. I was flung aside with a wave of hot air.
Not remembering itself, I rushed away, and fire followed me closely, till it managed to hide behind a door.
Underfoot something звякало, and, looking down, I saw that ankle-standing in the Golden coins, a thick layer of scattered throughout the space of the room, where, through covered with mold and dirt glass high and narrow Windows scarcely penetrated the light. Here and there, to the left and on the right rose the huge heap of gold jewelry and coins, vases, plates, cups, and all the other utensils made of precious metal and inlaid with rubies, sapphires, pearls, emeralds, turquoises and other precious stones, bright shiny and sparkling even in this twilight. At the far end of a blank wall in the dark was visible countless some stones, the thickness of which was poured by all colors and shades, from steel gray to bright yellow, and purple and bright red. Possibly they were diamonds. Their was lots of fused into one одуряюще-dazzling mass, which charmed look insane beauty of his flamboyant, cold burning.
Like a fairytale I moved forward to this fascination rising, into the room. My hands themselves coming to the flamboyant priceless mass wonderful stone, and the next moment my fingers felt the touch of the jewels, dug in her nice вонзившись flown in dazzling reflections depth and curled they had faceted beads, spheres, cones and pyramids and pulled them out of there.
The palm of my widened, and sparkling diamonds appeared before my eyes, quite close, fell from the edges of the palms down, falling like the purest tears.
Never in my life had I seen such a quantity of jewels, and now from all this wealth dizzy. Consciousness опьянело, and I играючись, fell flat on his back, pleasant feeling how my body is immersed in скрежечуще-rustling, the creaking, перекатывающуюся and enveloping my body diamond muck. I literally drowned in it and almost choked on time feeling like precious stones climb and stuffed into the nostrils and mouth.
Spitting, with difficulty I managed to get out, and then some, admiring their beauty, I filled them up to the top of his pockets, which had only been in my clothes, and went into the other room, opening the side door.
There was the same: gold and precious items were scattered throughout the room, piles and whole mountains rising above the thick layer of gold coins, covering the floor. Legs left in the yellow, off in a lot of places on the knee, and I hardly moved from room to room, scored untold wealth.
Obviously this was the monastic good about that while talking mentioned Ivan Noodles, and because of whom died this monastery, having been their treasures all evil.
I felt that my feet hot, and I thought it was from fatigue, but has become directly burn, and then, touching the gold coins, which sank knee-deep legs, I fingers felt like they are hot.
Gold continued to heat up, and stand in it was done unbearable. Get back, making dozens of steps, — did was think. Only one thing remained-and after two steps to the window, soaking in the hot coins and feeling like burns, I had nothing wondering, without hesitation, and without hesitation leaned on the plates of coloured mica, which was glassed frame stained-glass window, and, after breaking them, flew head over heels to the ground as the plague staring eyes and разражаясь curses.
High grass under the walls of the castle gently took my body, juicy захрустев thick, fleshy stems, and, having rolled down the embankment, I was in a deep ditch.
From the broken window, where I just fell, with the roar of flame burst. The whole monastery was already wrapped in fire, вырывавшимся out from under the roofs, Windows and doors of the building.
