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Amaranta-2. Captive of Elf’s King
«What else is the door?»
«Follow me!»
Spark fell out and flew forward as a torch, overclocking the darkness. From the curiosity Amaranta went after him.
«Where are we going?»
Rather, he flew, she walked, but Spark was not embarrassed. He hurried to the garden, and in the most rushing corner.
«In the crypt!» He responded, flew to the thickets. He was stolen from the board the queen, it had to be thrown into the bushes, because the figure in his fingers is hopelessly burned. «You need to unlock this door.»
The door was heavy and cast-iron, increasing moss and bind. This is definitely not the door of the surname crypt. It is located much to the left than the ever-locked entrance to the family tomb. Amaranta crashed from the door the stems of the bindweed. Under them was visible a key well in the form of some vensel.
Friends of Spark turned out to be here as here. They are really a whole team! They walked around a fiery round dance. The air heated from their presence. The breathing became more difficult.
«Let’s play!» One elf tried to burn her. Other giggle.
Amaranta tried to adopt them. As strange, what else, not to acquire children, she has already felt like a mother who cannot cope with the hooliganism of their own offspring. Fiery elves are not only in mind, but also in nature very much resembled risen children. They walked over her head like live fire pillars. And torches were not needed.
«Here is the key!» Spark handed her the key, dirty and rusty. It, probably, still resting at the bottom of the source or even in the quagmire.«Open!»
«And you yourself can not open?»
«If I could, I would not ask you to help me. This is nonsense – ask for the help of the lady.»
Did he believed himself that he is a knight who himself should serve the lady in all?
Mould remained from the key on her hands. Amaranta climbed into a garden well to rinse hands. The well bucket was full of water, and suddenly there was no water in a moment, and a water elf was leaned from the well. The one she has already seen. Only this time he was kinder. Even showed obsession.
«Do not communicate with fiery shoes, whatever they walked you. Better pay attention to me. I can greatly prove you on the day at the bottom. With my help, you could become a water queen. You know the story of Lilofey, which married the underwater king. At first she resisted, but then she was good at the bottom.
«Lilofey was a princess, and Amaranta is just a countess. She is suitable for beauty, but not suitable by origin,» Spark interrupted.»
«But the king of elves does not think so.»
Silence has come.
«Let him seek unmarried. Otherwise, the law on the same century will come into force before the wedding.»
«What?»
«Never mind! Open!»
The door succumbed. Spark kissed her. Lips burned. When he kissed the maid, he usually burned the face. She darted to the well. Reflection in the water comforted her. The lips turned red, but there is neither blister or burns. The skin has not burned down to the bone.
How it happened that the others he burned, but did not harm her? Ladies, burned by his kisses, were forced later to cover faces with veil. Amaranta managed to pay attention to the victims of his courting. Unfortunate ladies complained that they were a victim of the fireplace demon.
«There is a secret move to the hills,» a joyful voice of Spark came. «Thank you, babe, now we can fly to the hills.»
«Was it not easier to fly to them through the field at the castle?» Amaranta looked at the tightened cobweb. There was dark and damp.
«It is impossible through the field!» Spark flew in the darkness, burning the web. «This is the territory of Dagda. He will not let us down to the hills, because he remembers how we were fried the victims there. And through the underground we move easily! With underground spirits, I am easy to agree. By the way, you want to visit our hills. Inside, the whole workshop lies in them, where we are improving fiery magic on the received captured travelers.
It seems clear why Dagda drove them away. Spark was mentioned that he was driven away from all the magic courts.
«If the castle is precipitated, then through a secret move you can escape. You do not even need a torch, because we will shine!»
«Thank you! In case of siege, I will consider,» said Amaranta. Spark was right. Just in case you need to know what way to escape from the fortress. Another secret way is good in order to quietly leave the castle on dates with Dagda. Here and garden gate is no longer needed. Amaranta left the key for herself. She was not even noticed by Spark.
«Well, if the king of Ilior does not see you,» he talked. «And then the poor Angus will immediately have two rivals-kings. He and so from jealousy all got it. Luellin after all, likes flirting with the knights!
And you are not restrained in the language.
«And where did you decide that the King of Ilior is also a fall on the ladies like me, like the king of Aluar. Is he also a lustful old man?»
«No, it is even relatively young, but still not married. And do you know why?»
«How can I know? I am not familiar with him.»
«It should seem to know at least something about the customs and politics of the country in which you now live. And you are only after the elves and run.»
«So after you and yours?»
«After the elves from the seven hills,» Spark clarified. «You are not too courteous with me. I did not fit for the role of the hero-lover?»
«Okay, you stuck me. So what’s wrong with the king of Ilior?»
«So,» Spark is burning a chess figure and thrown it to his annoyance. It was a black queen. It is a pity that Medea Shai also will not be thrown. Otherwise, Amaranth woula put Spark a monument in the castle garden. Let people laugh, for her the fiery elf would be a hero.
«The king himself is a man, but captured by the songs of the stray minstrel about the beautiful fairies. That’s the same he craves to get to his wife. Count: Immortal Eternally Young Queen! You wouldn’t have it? Although, you are not. But I look from the point of view of men.»
«The king or a man, like you, it’s right. But it would hardly be interested in me with the same zeal as you. I’m still not a fairy, but he wants to put a real fairy on the throne next to him. With wings!»
«Oh, about the wings minstrel did not tell him anything. So you can be a fairy too. You look like a cloud fairy. Such only in heaven to float. We step into the throne hall of Ilior, and the poets of the king will vividly compound the poems about how you went to the parquet directly from the cloud that walked outside the window. Angus is convicted or sent to the hot zone of hostilities so that he does not survive there. It is necessary to destroy the opponent. And you will become a queen. It did not come out in Aluar, and your fate came on foot in Irior, it didn’t need even to go by the sea. You have written in your family that you will be the queen.»
She already heard something from ice creature.
«Sad perspectives. So I will not go to the court.»
«But you may be called on mandatory. Here, in the county, you are masters, but all the surrounding feudalles: both counts, dukes, and marquises, all of you, regardless of the title or size of possessions are the King’s vassals. Only I am in my own! True, for me privileges? Better would you come out for me than the Angus. I would remove you from everyone. In the case of siege, it would be pushing such a wife in the fireplace pipe.»
«Besides yourself. You will burn me!»
«But behind the wall of my fire, others will not get you, come at least a whole army.»
«You seem to expect a siege.»
«Rumors are regrettable,» Spark put the sharp flaming ears, «I hear over the walls more than you, therefore, and more concerned. The ignorance is a grace!»
She did not hear anything through the walls, but did not consider the ignorance as a grace. It’s better to be aware of news. It will be necessary to question Adelina. She is a gossip.
«And you are not afraid of Dagda, as a rival?» It first seemed to her that the situation was exactly different.
«But do not stick about him! I can’t endure Dagda and Medea Shai to the same degree.»
«Because both ruler expelled you, the elves of fire, from their lands for unacceptable pranks.»
«How do you know that?»
She herself could not say where she knows it.
It seemed that Spark was about to weep with fiery tears.
«Everyone is not good to me, do not bring, do not like, do not stroke the head, because they are afraid to burn. And what I did this! Just born fiery! Fire is not a shameful stigma! What to scare me?»
«I’m not afraid of you!» Amaranta boldly extended her hand to him, because she had already understood that he could no longer burn her. Previously, he could. But the more time she spent in the arms of the king of elves, the more invulnerable became.
«Truth?» Spark is hung under the ceiling of a narrow tunnel. «And my lady are you ready to become?»
«Your lady?» She was amazed.
«Lady of the heart!» He jokingly touched his burning chest. Inside it, except for fire and sparks there was nothing.
«Do you have a heart? It is from the fire, how are you all?»
«I do not know!» Spark frowned his orange eyebrows.:But I want the lady of the heart. Such is all the knights. Will you be it?»
«I can not! I’m already the lady of the heart of elf’s king.»
«True,» Spark became sad and began to shine not so bright. «I forget all the time that you are busy twice. Man and Elf! Who would you choose if you could only leave one?»
The elf, she wanted to say but kept silence. Spark will not to know about all her feelings.
«I’m still determined,» said she.
«Okay. We will fly to the hills,» the hot post of fire disappeared in a dark tunnel. All friends of Spark flew after him. Amaranta also decided to walk. The main thing, to have time to follow the orange sparks, remaining from the procession flying along the tunnel. Otherwise, she risks get lost here in complete darkness.
How not to lose your head
Stream shouted that she did not go, but he could not fly away from the well and rush behind her. Water elves are tied to water. Where there are no sources, there are no of them. And there was no water in the tunnel: neither underground sources, nor even puddles.
– It is impossible to lose your head because of the fiery elves and expose yourself danger!» came to Amaranta of the moraling of Stream left to float over the well.
Probably, she really lost her head from the secrets, once decided on a dangerous journey under the ground. Once, undoubtedly, it was a secret move from the fortress outside the case of siege. Now the fiery elves are travelling here. The radiance from their orange wings was enough to see the tiles in the walls, similar to the tombstone. Spark did not lie. He himself and his friends now played for her the role of living and moving torches. Lay from them and stay in the pitch darkness was scary. Fortunately, it was not necessary to wander around the tunnel. Soon they really went to the hills.
«Well, good bye, a beauty!» Spark with his fiery flock flew to the nearest hill.
Amaranta even rubbed her eyes to make sure that she does not dream that inside the hill opened the shining door. The flocks of the elves in a moment did not become, and on the site of a door was only a green surface. It comes out, the legends about the houses and palaces inside the hills are true! It is said that in the hills sometimes the whole magic states fit. Such hills seem to be called sits. If the mortal was part of them, he was no longer returned.
Amaranta even frightened. That if the elves were pulled her inside the hill.
Okay, the case is done. Now she knows the secret path from the castle. If you decide to take advantage of them without the help of Spark, it is better to take a torch or at least a candle. In addition, Spark is unreliable accompanying. You never know what makes him mind. Now he is next to you and illuminates the way to you, and in the moment he will be afraid and will fly on his affairs inside the closest hill. Yes, he also has a relationship with water elves such that a fight between water and fire can break out.
It is better to make friends with someone more reliable than fiery or water elves. Although she did not make friends with Dagha. If only such relationships can be called friendship, and not romantic hobbies. It sometimes seemed that Dagda could be simultaneously everyone: both, and the beloved, and the interlocutor, who knows all the secrets of the universe. It is a pity that he left her for a long time.
Amaranta walked around the meadow of the distance from suspicious hills, where firing fighters are found. Thoughts about the rival from the fairies again climbed into the head and overshadowed the coming morning. What if he is with her now?
In order not to break up, it is worth thinking about something pleasant. For example, about flower thickets behind the meadow. As the oppressive thoughts came to mind. What if the meadow flowers are about to cover with the invasion of ice armies. Can the King of Ilior cope with them? Unless with whose magic.
The king of Ilior dreams of a fairy. What would happen if it would bring him to that black fairy, which occupied Rhodolite and creates some kind of witchcraft with the mechanisms? Suddenly, two of them would have a great couple! From the king and fairies? Something doubtful, but the thought is tempting.
«Do you want to play?» Called her someone. «Catch!»
She caught the ball abandoned by someone. On time, otherwise he would have applied to her lips. It was not heavy, but still it’s unpleasant that rural children so loosely started the game. By the way, where are they themselves? Amaranta looked around a meadow. Nobody. So who threw her ball? On the ball, a face drawn by a cinnaber, like on hinged dolls from Rodolite. Only these features suddenly became movable. The face was widely revealed, giving it a risen smile. One eye winked.
«And now bring me to place!» asked the lips.
«Where to? «Amaranth almost dropped the ball, that is, someone’s head. It looks like a nightmare! She holds in the hands of someone’s severe head!
«Here!» Suddenly someone’s hands took away the head.
A static young man took it on the neck, as if a fashionable hat. At first, crooked, but the head immediately turned on the neck, like on the axis, and here the face of the naughty red elf looked at Amaranta no longer from her own hands, but with a wide shoulder in blue-red coat.
«I have long wanted to approach you, but there was no possibility.»
«Where are you from?»
«Sometimes it seems that right from the place of execution, where I was broken.»
Amaranta was afraid and backed up.
«I’m kidding! I am not a ghost. Just unsuccessful and rebellious servant of her gloomy majesty Queen of fairies.
«This fucking?
«Are you already familiar with her? So accurately described it. By the way, you will not shiver the word for me before Dagda so that he take me to his service. I have long wanted to run, but there is no convenient possibility. You are my chance.»
The red elf raised her bouquet lilies of the valley, which were bleeding.
«Sorry, the head smears,» he apologized, «but they say, the bleeding will pass, barely the Queen of Fairies will be defeated and someone will win. I hope you will be the winner.
How sincere he said it! And the smile is so sly. Is it not a trap, all this.
«I am Quentin,» an elf introduced himself, on a moment, removing his head as others remove the headdress as a sign of respect. It can be seen, he entered the habit of doing so. It thus shalls or shows his superiority over mortals, which are not capable of such a focus.
«You see, an immortal being to execute to death is very difficult,» he justified, noticing the fright in the eyes of Amararanta. «One can only cause pain than the queen of fairies did.»
«You’re an elf? How did you get to the service for the queen of fairies?»
«Furious. All because of the silly boyish love. Even the monster can love if it is beautiful outside. While you will figure it out that inside the darkness and rot, sometimes there are centuries. I figured out, sobbed, understood my mistake, but could not return back to Dagda. The oath of loyalty keeps me on the old place of service. Obligations are associated with even elves by hand and legs stronger as chains. While the queen of the fairies herself will not drive me away, I have no right to leave her.
«Would Dagda forgive you and take you back?
«He is generous. Recently! A couple of thousand few years ago he was also cruel. But one war was happened, in which he killed his creature expensive. Since then, the conscience has sharply appealed to his nobility.»
«What kind of war?»
«Ordinary distribution due to power.»
«And the way a woman was expensive to his heart? Isn’t it Goddess Danu?»
«No, not a woman. Do not be jealous.»
«What makes you think that I am jealous?» She was embarrassed.
«By ladies, it is always visible.»
«Only elves or people too?»
«Elfs always, people only when your cheeks fled the blush, as now,» he joked.
«So the king of elves is sad?»
«Other, who was almost like a brother, but then betrayed.»
«Can you betray again if he takes you back? Wise people would say that the defector is unreliable.»
«Wise elves will say the same way. But I’m not wise, otherwise the head would not be lost: not in direct, nor in the figurative sense. At first, the queen of fairies made fool of me, then beheaded. Suddenly, next time I will lose my head because of you and betray again my king.»
«A joke again?»
«I’m not kidding! What a normal guy or an elf will not go crazy because of a beautiful girl? Therefore, Medea Shai is trying to destroy all the beatiful rivals. Although sometimes looking at her, you think that it is more beautiful to be impossible.»
«So, the prediction of the rival still came true,» Amaranta thought.
«What are you about?»
«Nothing!» Amaranta felt a chilling cold, as if frost with jets, plenty of body and fell the skin like fingers. The ice elf told something about a lady with dragons. The queen of fairies can be so called that, because she tamed dragons traveled on them. Now she crushed over the fact that it is so simple to tame the king of elves. And Amaranta could get under the hot hand. Who, like a rival, you can blame for the fact that the desired object has not yet gotten.
Was it necessary to be the rivals to the Queen of fairies! Even the usual earth queen in this role is very dangerous. What can we talk about the magic?
Judging by the removed Quentin’s head, even communication with Medea Shai is very dangerous. He flew on the fact that he is her fan. And how does she come with enemies?
«I let go addicted jokes addressed to her gloomy majesty, hoping that she would drive me away. And she is still in any way!» said Quentin. «Remove the head – it is easy. But shet does not want to expel! She can also give me to someone. You would make friends with her and asking me as a gift.»
She has not resolutely agree. To be friends with the queen of fairies is pure suicide! Yes, and with the rival, only the tricky and immoral girl is capable of making friends, which is used to shifting others. Amaranta preferred to be honest.
«I’m afraid to be friends with the monster,» she admitted.
«So you are wiser than me,» Quentin recognized sadly. «I would be like you, I would not get my head for an ax.»
«I would be smart, would not get confused with elves,» thought Amaranta. And immediately she silenced. It is impossible to think with Quentin too much, otherwise he will read all her thoughts as in an open book. Never stand in dealing with magical creatures to forget that they have the ability to read thoughts.
«My name is Amaranta,» she presented herself.
«I know! In our kingdom only about you and interpret. You are more popular than the queen herself because of her jealousy towards you. She was aiming for centuries to the king of elves, and then sailed behind the sea some mortal and confused all her plans. Beware of Mega Shai!»
The last words Quentin said very seriously. His emerald eyes on a moment flashed with a red tint.
«And otherwise she will demolish me head like you? Only I am no longer coming,» said Amaranta. At least once she is joking on him, not he over her, but Quentin and to this reacted with all seriousness.
«With mortals in such a simple way, it does not frame. After all, they cannot ride after death, which means to torture before death they need to long. Medea Shai does not like to miss their capabilities. On you, she will try to indiscriminate all anger. And her dragons will help her.»
«Do not scare me prematurely!»
«I did not want to scare. Just warned,» Quentin intercepted her hand and kissed, copying the gallantry of mortal knights.
«I wish I would see you in the role of the queen and lose my head because of you every day in the figurative, and not in the literal sense, but, alas, I did not work out!»
He took off his head off his shoulders, threw it like a ball. And in the next moment he was no longer there. If it is not a bouquet of bloody lilies of the valley, then no evidence that Quentin was real would have left. Amaranta did not even immediately realize that at this time of the year and in this area lilies of the valley do not bloom. And the headless elf will usually not meet here. Today, everything is not like usual.
Ice invasion
Infanta moved multicolored berries and now behaved strangely. Or maybe this one of the fruits presented by Dagda is partially echoing to her mind. Although she had a little mind. What do you to take from the bird? But now she sang strange songs and became surprisingly courtesy with her mistress. Probably peckled one of the magic fruits.
Amaranta was glad with her bird now. I didn’t want to constantly conduct verbal battles with your own pet.
Enough the fact that Theobald was in rage, accusing the elves in the impending war. No one believed him. Ice creatures about which the ambassador has told, did not have anything in common with the monsters whom the peasants saw in the forests and fields. Amaranta could talk something about her meeting with the creations of ice, but preferred to be silent. About the meeting on the bridge now and she did not want to remember. And especially about the fact that betting with ice creatures is almost lost. She really has a rival, which could be called a lady with dragons. And the candidate for the second husband also loomed on the horizon. And he turned out to be concretely king, as the ice elf assured her.
Amaranta rode thoughtfully between the palms the hot Dragon apple. By the scales on his skin, burning sparkles ran. If you rumble such an apple in an ice creature, does it burn entirely?
She did not give rest to the idea that a year later, the Ice Speaker would come for the promised in case of losing. Unless he forgot about what it is in general. Suddenly forgot? Amaranta thought that she needs to hope for the best. Suddenly, the ice creatures and the head of ice, devoid of any emotions and the main memory. In addition, before the expiration of the year since the meeting on the bridge, are many months. For such a term, the King of Ilior may well defeat the ice armies. They are probably can be melt with fire. True, the ambassador muttered something about the fact that if you bring a torch to them, they first melt, and then from the puddles are to be reinstalled, they are still extinct and become more angry.
The picture is terrifying! After all, then there will be no fire for a long time. Unless to conclude an agreement with Spark and his company so that the fiery elves are constantly nearby. From regular fire, ice armies would have to retreat. After all, everything is glowing continuously! Spark is a live fire! Only the friendship with him is very dangerous.
Theobald also assured that it is dangerous to have a friendship with elfs of any type. He disapprovingly mowed a dagger donated Dagda. Angus all the time wore it with him. It seems that this dagger had some kind of special power. Theobald was surprised how at all the elf could bring the iron thing. After all, all the unacceptable cannot endure iron.
Only one king of the elves could touch it. His subject is no longer. This covered his special strength.
