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For ten minutes A
– I saw him, and I don't mind calling him brother. Go to sleep…
The girl smiled serenely, inhaling the frosty freshness and winking at the stars peeking under the awning.
"The bottomless sky is good,"– she thought.
A thin boy of about seven years old stood by a fresh grave, which was mercilessly covered by the falling snow. Suddenly he was seized with a fit of coughing. He fell to his knees, and the white canvas was stained with drops of blood. Someone put a clean handkerchief to his lips and hugged him. After a few moments, the chest sounds subsided. The child was reclining on the woman's lap, looking into the warm eyes.
– Who are you? – he asked.
– I'm a friend of your great-grandfather.
The boy rested for a while longer and then roughly broke away from the embrace.
– We didn't have any friends.
A
– Take it, – she said, handing it to the baby.
He stood there for a moment, thinking, then came over and held out an almost transparent hand. My name is A
The boy bit into an apple. A
Robin and Arthur stood outside the chapel, looking up at the gray sky and breathing in the crisp, frosty air. The bright pink horizon heralded the imminent arrival of the sun. Edward approached them quietly. All three were dressed in black suits and wrapped in dark cloaks. The bear and the Falcon pulled their long hair back into tails. Raven's black, ragged locks reached only to his shoulders and fell in a picturesque disarray across his forehead and cheeks.
– Where is this lady? – Arthur asked. – Women are women, nothing can be trusted.
– Let's go to the stable. Order her to be sent for, – the monarch said to the footman.
A mournful funeral bell rang in the air.
– Someone died? – Edward asked.
– Yes, the head of the palace chancery, – Red Arthur yawned.
Near the stable, the warriors saw A
– Good morning, my lady, – Robin replied with a bow, as did his entourage, and moved closer to her. -Allow me to ask you an immodest question, madame.
– I allow it, Your Majesty, but I warn you that I do not answer all such questions.
Raven chuckled and reached out long, thin fingers to touch her hair. A
– Did you sleep in the stables?
– Yes, – the Countess replied matter-of-factly.
Raven clearly hadn't expected this answer:
– Are you crazy? Spend the night here, practically under the open sky, without protection?!
– I have a reliable protector, Your Majesty. He was with me all night.
– And who is he? – the head of state tried to put maximum contempt into his voice.
– You can see it right now.
All three of them looked in the direction indicated. A bay horse pranced along the road. This wonderful creature could not contain its own irrepressible energy. He kicked and whi
– That's a wild Liis stallion, – Arthur choked. – They can't be tamed. The strongest and toughest horses, the smartest.
– Well, why not, – said the Countess's melodious voice. – You just need to find an approach to everyone.
– If I touch him, he won't trample me? – The head of the Bear clan asked enthusiastically.
A
– Flame, let him, – the girl said.
The stallion snorted again, but this time less aggressively, and A
– You came here in it?
– Yes.
– They are three times faster than normal horses.
– More than that, actually, – the Countess said. And the Flame is the leader, as long as none of the tribesmen can compete with it.
She mounted the horse, which was not even reined in, with surprising ease,and thus once again surprised her companions.
– The Flame knows the way very well, Your Majesty. If you'll excuse me, I'll go first.
The King frowned, but did not object. Soon, the four horsemen disappeared over the horizon.
When they were halfway down the road, a ravine appeared ahead. The horses walked slowly. A
– The flame senses danger, – the Countess said.
As soon as the horses stopped, and the sound of hooves ceased to resound over the snow-covered expanse, a dead silence enveloped the gorge. Even the crystal-clear stream in front of them seemed to flow without a sound.
The Countess started as a long-drawn-out howl rang out.
– Wolves of the twilight! Stop it! – she shouted.
Shadows flickered on the cliff tops.
– Dismount quickly! – The king shouted, drawing his sword. – A
The girl hurried to obey the order, at the same time, the young men rushed forward, holding their weapons in front of them. The three black horses, terrified, darted down the ravine and leaped into the hollow, continuing their senseless run. The flame was next to the hostess.
Robin was the first to meet the huge wolf, literally cutting it in half. Approaching the hill, the warriors dealt with twelve large creatures, which crumbled into dust from the blows, leaving no traces. The men stopped at the foot of the cliff and were about to return when a growl sounded from above.
– God, there are hundreds of them, – said Arthur, looking up.
– This hollow will be our grave, – Edward said grimly, brushing a strand of blond hair from his sweaty brow.
– We will fight as long as we can raise our swords, – Raven ordered.
And then a horde of animals leaped from the peaks at the people. The clang of teeth, the clang of steel, and the neighing of horses rang out. The young warriors quickly became isolated and fought off the predators, unable to help each other. Robin managed to deal with a couple of wolves, stabbing one with a straight blow and cutting the other, but two more jumped on him immediately. The last of them knocked the sword out of his hand. The king dodged the beast, trying to reach for the weapon, but it was already clear that the second jump of the predator would be fatal for him. He was staring unblinkingly into the eyes of his death when something whizzed by a centimeter away, and the wolf vanished into thin air, as did the next five. The same fate befell the predators attacking the lords. The young men looked back and saw A
– Flame! – A
Her stallion, obeying the order, jumped into the lowlands and did the impossible. With two blows of his front hooves, he destroyed the huge wolf. The second beast, which had rushed at him from behind, immediately fell from the powerful push of its hind hooves.
– Get them out of there, Flame! – A