Selvin unobtrusive only until the work was boiled in the estate. The workers imported a new, fashionable furnishings. The walls were re-crossed by expensive wood. The dressmakers filmed the measurements for the curtains. I was tired of the incessant crash of driving around, the knocking of hammers and disputes about what will be more beautiful to stand, I moved to the mill. It was warm and nice there.
Left alone, I thought about Vincent. Where is this poor fellow now? Probably, he is in some wretched hut, because his house is sold, and the debts are not paid. Only in the evening he can get out of his shelter to go to visit those who have enough stupidity to invite him. A poor Vincent! He would dance from happiness, if any childless king suddenly thought to adopt him. Again it outdated so that all the honors got to the one who did not appreciate them at all, and not the one who was dreaming about them.
Not that I am very sorry for Vincent. He brought himself all the time in trouble and did it quite skillfully without any assistance. Clear fraud is not a mean with which you can succeed. Now I remembered Vincent, because I felt his presence nearby. I just could not understand what he was doing in the village.
From the roof of the mill, an excellent panorama opened, but someone removed a ladder. Unlike people, I did not need a ladder to climb the attic. Probably, the miller noticed it. My hearing was very sensitive, I heard the hammer strikes in the forge, snoring the horses, crying baby in the cradle and warlike screams. Everything that happens in the village was almost tangible to me. I strained and listened. What happens there? Someone takes out a weapon from the forge. The village is preparing the uprising. The rumors and suspicions have done their job. What is the honor to kill the dragon while he is in human guise. Whether I am a man, I would be offended. After all, this village belongs to me according to papers from the king, I am a friend of the king himself, and these stupid people want to kill me with pitchforks and knives. Well, if they wish to see the dragon, they will see it, although I swore not to turn without special need.
From above, it was possible to observe the crowd, which moved to the mill.
Only pride prevented me to return to the gloomy, immense world, where I will be taken as equal. Pride and suddenly broken rage. How can these people be so arrogant and believe that they will overcome the stronger magic creature. Threatening to me, they just repeated the mistake of past generations.
Vincent, obviously, has managed to be returned before the crowd moved to the mill. Undoubtedly, he already learned about the fact that the king favors me, and got angry to such an extent that he rushed headlong into another dangerous enterprise. The result of it I could now watch with a better place.
The crowd was poorly armed and poorly organized. When they approached the pond, I was sitting on the roof in the same unchanged position, as an idol frozen in front of the pagan altar and an empty not expressing look at the armed crowd. Let them know that it is easier to move a whole fortress from the spot than to make me move at least a finger. It was worth to whisper only one word, and the arrow turned back. A sharp steel tip unmistakably found the heart of a unlucky shot.
A similar witchcraft maneuver even more exited the crowd. If earlier they had nothing but their own conclusions, now they have received proof that the sorcerer next to them really exists, and is not a fruit of someone well-developed imagination. I myself provided them with this testimony of my secret power and was not long waiting for their reaction. Hostile cries have become even louder. Vincent was worth only to throw a spark near the powder cord, and it wakes himself. The main thing against me was that for the sake of such an event you can throw all the work for a couple of days and plunder the rich possession of the feudal. In addition, in the opinion of many, the murder would be easy, because it does not manage to see the dragon every day, to catch him at the moment of weakness. As soon as they set fire to the mill, I’ll fly, leaving them alone with a conscience and a wall of fire.
In a moment, I saw everything on miles around, knew how many knives were hidden under rude capes. I wonder what amazement will distort their features when the real, golden dragon appears?
I slightly covered eyelids and the face distorted by rage merged into a solid range of white spots, but suddenly in the thick of the crowd flashed a family face of Francesca. So after all, the countess came to look at the massacre, because they were rarely far from the city, or opposite she tried to stop them. Even if she tried, it is unlikely that they will stop, not often the fate itself is found the pretext to kill the owner of the village, besides, if he also turns out to be a real dragon.
The door of the mill could not even knock out with the help of a rudely homemade battering ram, because I ran a protective spell on it. The spell to stop the fire flew out of the head, and the walls of the mill were flamed too quickly. I darted with one throw from the roof, the raincoat was shot at my back, like a sail and in just a moment I managed to take the kind that would manage to scare anyone. The first moment brought an amazement. The peasants did not assume that they would see someday something similar. As it could happen, because of the moment back, they saw just a favorite of the king, a silent aristocrat, who is unlikely to be able to confront to many alone, and suddenly he disappeared, and in front of them over a burning mill, a sparkling dragon was flying. Francesca also raised her eyes to the sky, no doubt, she learned me alone. She could not be misleading the dragon, who got down the fire on the crowd.
Already flying out, I knocked Francesca down with the edge of my wing. Golden steel scratched her easily vulnerable human flesh and broke clothes. She lied on the ground for a long time in a torn dress with disheveled gold curls and repeated something in a whisper, just one word as if it was a spell.
It was worth listening to distinguish her incessant whisper, more like a desperate cry.
«Edwin! Edwin!» came to me before all the sounds were dissolved in the heavenly melody.
«How could they?» Selvin was already in renovated living room and never ceased to be outraged by such betrayal. «If I just knew before? I would manage to support discipline, set guards.
He stopped near the fireplace and helplessly lowered firmly compressed fists.
«Forgive me, Edwin. If I knew that the village was full of madmen, I would have done everything to erect the barrier between them and you.»
«I warned you that the misfortunes pursue me,» I quite reasonably noticed. «Not so long ago, a former servant was trying to arrange a plot against me, before that there were other unpleasant cases. It is better to stay away from such a friend as I.
«Yes, it looks like a conspiracy,» Selvin’s eyebrows met on the nose, he thought about something feverishly, and then he smiled lightweight and happily. «I know a great solution. Do not think that I am superstitious, but in Viniena there is a beautiful cathedral. It is worth only to go there and nothing will remain from the evil eye or evil conspiracy.»
«No,» I objected so hastily, which scared him. «In no case. Now I can not go to the capital, I risk to face there with old enemies,» I began to compose on the move, so that the lies cover the cruel truth. I could not push him that with one sound of church bells, I will have bleeding ears. A rumor enjoying the music of fairies is too susceptible to the monotonous ringing of the metal and the chorus of chants.
«What are you afraid if His Majesty will send his people with you? «Selvin decided to encourage me and if I need to settle all problems for me. How to refuse him?
«I’m not afraid of anything,» I tried to object, as mildly as possible. «I just
