- Decided to pray for my soul?

“I don’t pray for my soul,” the young man replied with a smirk, “Just thinking out loud.”

- What, if not a secret?

“Follow me,” Milard suddenly ordered. “Let's talk in a more intimate setting.”

- In your bedroom? - the princess raised an eyebrow.

The gentleman, without deigning to answer his slave, quickly headed for the door leading to the basement. Ilma followed him.

***

- Hey, why sprawled?

Feira barely opened her eyes. In front of her, leaning her elbow on a battered wall, stood a girl in men's clothes and twisted a dagger in her hands.

“Sorry, madam,” murmured Feira, trying to get to her feet.

- Where are you from this come from? - the girl pressed her foot to the ground.

- Do not be angry, madam, - Feira froze, - I am looking for a friend.

- What girlfriend?

“Her name is Ilma,” Feira looked up at the girl, “Have you heard about her?”

Eva put her leg away and squatted down beside her. Her big black eyes glittered like a wild cat. Putting the dagger to the stranger's throat, she twisted her mouth in an unpleasant smile.

- Tell me who you are! - She snarled, - Or I'll cut off your head off! Who sent you?

- Nobody sent me, - Feira did not even move, - I came from the North Lake itself.

Ewa reluctantly sheathed his blade and helped Feira rise. Having questioned her, the thief made sure that she was not dangerous and was telling the truth.

“So you stomped after the cart in her wake?” - Ava asked in surprise, - And these traces led you to the city slums?

“I reached the city,” explained Feira, “And then the tracks are lost.” But I am sure that Ilma is somewhere here. I have to find her and give her the ring.

“Show me,” Eva demanded.

The girl took a ring out of her pocket and handed it to the brigand. She looked at him for a few minutes, twirling in her hands, and then thought for a while.

- Let's go! - Eva quickly rose to her feet.

They circled for a long time in the maze of narrow muddy streets, built up with low shabby shacks, then turned into a dark gateway and stopped in front of a massive iron door. Ava put her ear to the gap and froze. Feira watched the robber with interest, but did not ask her anything.

“It's all calm,” Eva finally announced. “Come in.”

The door creaked open. Feira was in a small room without windows. In the far corner, on two thick logs, stood a couch with a straw mattress, next to it was an oblique table and a pair of stools.

Eva pointed to the bedding and allowed the girl to rest on her until she returned. Then she quickly went out and locked the door outside. The room plunged into darkness. Feira groped for a bed and lay down with a fist tucked under her head. Soon she was fast asleep.

The door creaked again. Feira raised her head and froze in a daze, seeing in front of her the figure of a man in a long black cloak and a deep hood that hid his face. The man stood motionless, arms folded, and making no sound.

“Another crazy one,” Eva grinned.

- Leave us, - the man threw off the hood, - We will talk.

Feira, through the gloom, saw that there was a woman standing in front of her. Her long, golden hair was pulled back and seized with a black ribbon. The girl was struck by the beauty of a stranger. Such as she, Feira met in the northern regions and was always surprised by their restraint and prudence.

- What's your name? The woman asked, sitting down on a stool.

“Feira, madam,” the girl replied softly.

- Is that your ring? - the stranger showed the ring that Eva took.

- Not. This ring ..., - Feira hesitated.

She could not say that he belonged to Ilma. And whose is the property, the former slave simply did not know. Gathering her courage, the girl told the whole story that occurred in the Brodo winter hut.

“I see,” said the woman, “did Ilma herself give you any names?”

“Ilma told me that she had a friend who died defending her during the battle,” said Feira. “This friend was called Tilla.

- So, Ilma believed that Tilla was dead? - Somehow strangely asked a woman in a raincoat.

- Yes, madam, - the girl nodded her head, - Ilma was very worried and often cried when she recalled her.

- Why? Princess experienced the death of a commoner? Strange, - the woman chuckled.

- Sorry, madam, - Feira started, - Ilma said that they were very close.

- And about whom she told? - As if not noticing the words of the interlocutor, the woman asked.

“I didn't talk about anyone else,” Feira shook her head, “I would remember and say.”

“Okay, rest,” the woman pulled the hood over her head again and left the room.

Feira again left alone. Sitting on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her knees.

She was not at all stupid and not as naive a girl as it seemed, and she was honest. Vowing to find Ilma, Feira, sparing no effort, followed the trail of a wagon. Often losing sight of him, she wandered for a long time in search of the cherished strips. And again she went forward tirelessly.

The longer the girl was on the way, the harder became her belief that Ilma was kidnapped and now being taken to the massacre. In the short hours of rest, sitting in some dirty tavern, Feira listened keenly to the chatter of visitors in the hope of obtaining valuable information for herself. And she succeeded.

In one small tavern, two peasants talked quietly about their affairs, when suddenly a third, apparently their long-time acquaintance, sat down to them.

- Where are you from, Kal? - asked him.

“From hell,” he replied sadly, “He barely took his feet off.”

- Ah, well, lay it out! - pestered friends.

“I got involved in one thing,” knocking over a glass, began to tell Kahl, “After all, I gave myself the word to never listen to the Babskiy tales.” And here they sang so sweetly that I hung my ears. We went with our elder to the city to sell vegetables. Well, they sold everything and rolled into a zucchini. The warden quickly plucked up and fell asleep. Here comes a man, and with him three more. And let's talk about freedom and equality, that there should be no slaves, that all people should be equal to each other.

My hops hit me in the head, and I went after them. And at the house itself a wife and two daughters. Well, we came to some sort of hovel, and there already had a crowd ... And all about the same buzz. Well, I think, and I will walk with them. After all, they were going to rob the rich, as I thought at first. But it turned out that these men, that they were in the tavern, were gathering the army, and that the woman was commanding the army. The princess herself, and in slavery, she visited some Milard.

I was taught a whole full moon, like holding a sword in my hands, and then thrown out onto the field. And on us another army went. I pulled from there. Not immediately, of course. At first he pretended to be killed, and when it got dark, he crawled to the edge of the forest and started up. And there and close to the house.

A few days ago I saw how this woman was carried in a wagon. Looks tracked and caught. And two slaves were assigned to her. Blacks are dirty. I myself saw how they fed her.

- And what, she herself could not hold a spoon? - asked one of the listeners.

“She was held in a bag,” Kahl explained. “And once fed, they immediately shut their mouths and put them in the wagon.” But I recognized her. That is a woman. For sure! Princess Ilma Brock. And the man who was in charge of everything there was Milard himself. I, as I understood it, rushed home. I don't need all these adventures. Only from the soldiers with the edge of my ear I heard that soon this princess on the square would be executed as a fugitive slave. At stake will be planted. Be sure to go see how it will writhe.

Feira barely restrained herself not to cling to this Kalya in his red face. But now she knew where her friend was. That's just how to help her, the girl could not imagine. It was then that she decided to get into the city slums and find someone who could advise what to do.

The girl did not notice how again ... Read more →