like others.
– Our person! – Nermall hit the prince on the shoulder.
– Bring some beer! – Duncan shouted.
Having eaten enough, the travelers lay down in the beds offered by the innkeeper.
***
– Hello, Nermall! – said the red-haired woman. Goosebumps ran through the old man’s body, and the woman laughed.
– Lisa, what are you doing here? You… You shouldn’t be here!
– Don’t be dark, Nermall! Say it straight: «You, Lisa, are dead!» You, Nermall, allowed my death, but I don’t blame you. I forgave you a long time ago.
«I’m sorry,» Nermall whispered.
– Kiss me like you did before? Do you remember at the first meeting? – Lisa reached out to him, but Nermall pulled away:
«I’m sorry,» the man whispered again. And then he opened his eyes, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
He hadn’t dreamed of her for a long time. The wound did not heal completely, but did not bleed for several springs. He did not forget her face, but tried not to think about Lisa. Now the memories flooded again, as if through a broken dam.
They first met at the bazaar. Nermall, as always, was in a hurry to get somewhere, and brushed his shoulder against the red-haired silk saleswoman. A pile of clothes fell from her hands, and the wind began to blow away the light silk. Nermall picked up all the dresses. For one I had to run to the corner.
«Thank you,» she said. Since then, the student, the son of a nobleman, began secretly meeting with a young merchant. His father was preparing a rich future for him, and there was no place for a non-noble girl there. Nermall and Lisa were happy. They didn’t notice the spies who were watching them. One day Nermall came to the appointed place at a certain time. Lisa was not there. His heart sank with alarming foreboding and Nermall did not know what to do. He trudged home. That night he never slept.
The maid stirred Nermall up early in the morning.
– Father is calling you! – she said.
«Hello, son,» the usually serious Henry smiled. That smile didn’t bode well. – Nermall, there will be an execution today. The guards have caught another witch, and the Inquisition will carry out a show execution.
– Father, you know I can’t stand the sight of blood. I’m starting to feel nauseous.
– I insist on your presence. You have to grow up. Moreover, the Inquisitors have their own methods – they do not shed blood.
On the Square of Majesty stood two inquisitors in long black robes. And Lisa was standing there. Nermall almost rushed to the center of the circle designated by the crowd, but Henry held him by the sleeve.
– Look. There’s nothing you can do here!
Nermall stood there, unable to move. One of the anti-mages raised his hand up.
– Illigulus, spirit of Justice, evaluate the guilt of this woman. If she is a witch and uses illegal magic, punish her according to what she deserves.
Lightning flashed from above, and Lisa caught fire.
– I told you she was a witch!
Nermall lost consciousness at that moment. He opened his eyes already inside the castle.
– Father, why did you do this? You set it all up, right?
– How could I set up illegal magic?
– It’s all you! I know you found a way. Why, father? For what?
– For your own good. This witch is not your match. You know that you already have a fiancée.
– I don’t love her!
– No one forces you to love. If you don’t fall in love, you can look for love on the side. But you must marry her.
Henry drank and squandered almost his entire fortune at cards. When the time came to transfer the inheritance to his son, he found the simplest way to rehabilitate himself – he promised one of Beelzuvik’s Advisors a son, in exchange for a good monetary reward. But things didn’t go as planned. Nermall ran away from home that night. He jumped into the sea, wanting to end his life. But he was picked up by pirates. A few days later he returned to his father’s house. Nermall wanted to kill his father. But he found an old beggar who, having drunk, stretched out his hand to live another day. Fate punished his father, so Nermall spared the man.
But Lisa’s face sometimes appeared in his dreams. She smiled. And in the end she always died.
The old man closed his eyes.
– Nermall! – he heard a familiar voice.
Chapter 7. Prophet
As soon as the sun appeared on the horizon, Nermall was already pushing his comrades aside.
– Sleep well, sleepyheads! So sleep through life!
– Old man, you slept through your youth, give us a rest too! – Duncan muttered. But he got out of bed. Lewis and Still decided to take a walk around the village. The road is long, you won’t rest until evening. And as long as it’s not too hot, you can go for a walk.
– Okay, but you won’t be long! – said Nermall.
The young men walked along the narrow streets. The locals looked unfriendly at the strangers. They are dressed like a traveler, so few people recognize Still as a prince.
People were gathering in the square. A gray-haired man is tied with ropes to a post. The haystack under him is growing larger.
– What’s happened? – Still asked one of the passers-by. -What crime did he commit?
– Damn him! Calling for trouble again. We told him – throw away your books, but he is stubborn, no matter what! He writes and writes. These writers are nothing but trouble! It’s either a matter, I understand, a farmer, or, perhaps, a blacksmith. Well, at worst, a soldier – they are more useful than scribblers. They put letters into words that ordinary people cannot understand. The nobles read it, but the peasants will not end up in trouble.
– So what happened after all? Should we be executed for books? Is this a crime?
– Are you taught to read and write?
Still nodded. The stranger handed him a small volume covered in calligraphic handwriting.
– Here, take it, read it for yourself, and you’ll understand.
Still began to read.
***
«They are coming. Can you hear that rumble? It is their horses that trample our land. And the lights are not fireflies, there is nothing good about them. These are torches with which they will set fire to houses. This time they gathered a small detachment. They won’t burn the village to the ground. They will rape, several men will be killed – those who are the most obstinate, who do not want to watch how a stranger saddles his wives. This time they are going to collect tribute. They do not need other people’s lives, only bread and flocks. They know that you can’t take gold from the villagers. But they are patient. This time they won’t come for long. Then they will come again. And the third time they will burn the village to the ground.
Can you hear that crackling sound? It’s the branches breaking under their feet. They have no need to hide. They are not afraid. They know that the king does not care about the outskirts. The king will not send troops to protect us. He doesn’t care.
Do you see the lights of the torches? So you caught their first arrival. Then there will be another one. But know that you won’t survive their third visit. Run. They are coming!»
***
– And what didn’t