Chapter 59: Chapter 6
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Damian.
I've been wandering around Philippa's house with my blindfold closed for an hour now. Thanks to my training, I can now move around here without my eyes. Orienting myself by the subtle feel of my magic on the space around me.
Jaime Lannister's example taught me that it is best to develop both hands equally, and Philippa Eilhart's example taught me that I should learn to do without eyes thanks to magic beforehand.
As they say - live and learn!
It was Triss who caught me doing that. Her grandfather was on some negotiations with Visimir and Philippa, her mother took small orders from the king's wife and courtiers. And we've been lazing about at home.
- Damian, you've had enough of wandering round the house in the dark. Let's go for a walk up to the Black Mountain.
- Why go there? - I was surprised, but I took off the blindfold.
- We've been here for months, and we've only seen the town and talked to a few locals. They won't let us go anywhere!
- Knowing you, I wouldn't let you go anywhere unsupervised either.
- That's why I suggest we go together. You're a strong mage, like me, and you're good with weapons.
Bad flattery, but... she's right, I'm also tired of being cooped up in four walls. We can take care of ourselves without falling on a peasant's pitchfork or a soldier's sword. And the place is generally quiet. Besides, there's no harm in a little walk. My instincts are silent here, so I can go once.
- All right, I'll take that as a yes.
- Thank you. - and gave me a peck on the cheek. - I'm gonna go change into something a little less flashy.
- Go on, I'll dress like I'm going on a field trip.
I didn't wear expensive trousers, boots, doublets and so on. Simple woollen trousers, a loose white shirt and waistcoat, and comfortable leather boots on my feet, where I stashed one dagger each, one of dvimmerite, the other of simple Mahakam workmanship. I also slung a kukri, custom-made in Wengerberg before the fire, around my waist, and hooked my sword behind my back.
After half an hour of fittings, Triss had chosen some of my clothes for her hiking outfit, but she still tried to look pretty and put on make-up. There was no logic to her actions, at least not that I could see. But fuck it, girls go through puberty earlier. And Triss is in love with me, so she follows me around. Mum and Philippa tease me, Taren smiles and keeps silent, I'm just polite and try not to spoil everything, the time will come, I'll get mine, and then I'll use the girl as I see fit, I'll slip her to the witch, and he won't look at Mum....
The way to the Black Mountain was given to us by the local guards at the exit from Oxenfurt, it was not far to go, and from there we can teleport, because both of us already possess this aspect of magic at the proper level.
The Black Mountain was called so not because of its black colour, but because of the mystical stories associated with it, from the mass grave of the elves of the elves who had fallen in battle with the first settlers in the area, to human sacrifices to summon demons.
All in all, it's a fun place. But that's only according to the lore, as the people like to embellish.
All in all, it was a decent place, quite... lively, which Triss liked, and she laid out the "camping food" that Philippa's cook had prepared. I realised then that there was more than idle curiosity here, but a desire to get me out on a romantic date. A girl grows up...
I didn't mind, I even snatched a kiss from her, or rather I kissed her myself, according to all the rules of the genre, which made Merigold's cheeks and ears blaze like poppies. She's cute, though, and being twelve years old, it's no big deal. I have not yet taken her innocence, and if I had, I would not feel a pang of conscience. I'm not the kind of man who'd go to all that trouble over a little thing like that. And in a world like this.
After a bit of listening to her chirping about Temeria we got ready and decided to go round the mountain and see what it was like, and there was a small lake here, and I hadn't taken a fishing rod for nothing.
Merigold Senior's influence had made me love fishing in addition to the Runes magic he had taught me.
Having met no naker, no wolf, no other animals that could harm us, and I had no special impressions from this walk, we went to the lake.
Triss wanted to go to the market, but I said no, so it wasn't a purely masculine fishing trip, but one with feminine elements.
And yes, elements.
Because it's the law of the genre that women are the reason a man can't go fishing. And it was not Triss' fault, but two other ladies who decided to swim in the lake, and there were several men of gangster appearance and with stupid grins waiting for them on the shore.
- Hey, girls, come out! - shouted one of the five to the two girls, who reacted almost nothing to the locals' antics. - Come out, I said! Or I'll come to you myself, and it won't be nice.
One of them - the redhead looked at them unkindly, but continued to swim, but still bothered to answer them:
- Go away, you mortals! - and went back to her work.
The high-born fools that escaped from their home, or rather one high-born fool, and the other her maid, by the stiffness and timid glances at their mistress it can be quickly understood.
Not that I'm a great knight and I like to do good deeds, but I'd like to try myself in a normal fight with non-mages.
- Stay here, Triss, and keep your head down!
- But--
- Stay here, I said. - More metal in my voice and I walked out to the shore where the five of them were.
- Boy, get out of here, can't you see grown men are busy with aunts, ha-ha-ha.
- Rjaboy. Let him stay, he'll learn something good, I guess he's not from around here and is fatherless.
- Get out of here. And leave the ladies alone! - I said glumly, noticing that both of the above-mentioned persons are now looking at us attentively.
- Look how cheeky you are. - grinned the rowan. - Simka, smack the boy so that he knows his place, and take the sword away, you can see that it's good, we'll sell it in town.
One of them came up to me and stretched out his hand, but I calmly without unnecessary movements quickly intercepted his hand, broke a couple of fingers, from which the shore was heard the scream of Simka. Then, while the others were still awake, I kicked him on one knee and forced him to drop to one knee and took hold of his hand, throwing us to the ground and breaking his hand with pressure, and then I kicked him in the face with one foot, so that he passed out.
At the same time he pulled a dagger out of his boot shoe and threw it at the nearest man, hitting him in the throat. The man clutched at his throat, choking on his own blood and sprinkling it liberally on the sand.
The others immediately woke up and came at me. But I was faster. I levitated and sent a knocked-out man into Ryabogo, who was in charge, knocking him to the ground. The other two almost reached me, but I spun round on my axis, crouched on one knee, and with one swing of my sword, which I drew from its sheath, cut both of their leg ligaments. And with a second blow, already hovering in his wake, he severed their heads.
Hot, scarlet blood spurted out, showering me and the space around us with scarlet rain.
I missed it so much. I need to get out more often.
Ryaboy crawled away from me, unable to get up out of fear. I slowly approached him with the desire to kill him.
But then Triss' arms came round me from behind.
- Damian! Please don't. Don't kill him.
- Triss-s-s-s-s-s-s. - I hissed. - Go away!
- No. Please don't, Dami. - she cried.
She was hysterical. Yeah, I'd forgotten what kids are like. She should be able to see blood and do the skills of a pathologist, she's a magician, but something must have gone wrong.
- He's a criminal. He has to answer for his actions. - I said, realising that this conversation was going nowhere.
- No!
Oh, God! Give me strength.
- Please have mercy. - squeaked this survivor.
- Hmm. Go on, go on, get out of here. - irritated, I stuck my sword in the ground and stroked Triss on the top of her head.
Meanwhile, both ladies had climbed out of the lake and were getting dressed. I took a quick glance at their appearance and realised that this was a rather interesting encounter. Because I recognised the redhead from my mother's conversations and books.
Litta Nade, aka Coral, is short, with rusty red hair and eyes the colour of jade. She has predatory facial features that bring to mind a fox, and a red one at that. Slightly pale skin, with almost no moles, and perfect coral-coloured lips. Her thigh was adorned with a skilful, fabulously intricate and colourful tattoo detailing a striped scalaria fish of bright colours.
It was from this that I determined who she was.
She was dressed first in a white light dress, which did not hide her figure, and there was nothing of jewellery on her, which was strange.
Next to her, her student Mosaic was already dressed.
She was a dark-haired girl with backcombed hair and a little less noticeable forms, and in general she was lost against the background of her teacher.
- And what is the name of our saviour? - Coral asked with a smile.
- Damian.
- Just, Damian? - She tilted her head to the side and stepped closer. - I can't believe such a... talented guy is just Damian.
- Damian from Wengerberg.
There was recognition and sparks of amusement in her eyes.
- So, Jennyfair, you're not your mother, are you?
- I am. - I nodded.
- My name is Litta Nade, but just call me Coral, Mosaic. - She nodded at her apprentice. - My apprentice. Tell me, where's your mum? And why is Merigold's granddaughter out here alone with you in a place like this?
- Walking.
- Walking? Hmm, I see. - she was about to say something else, but she looked at Triss. - I'll bring her round. You scared her with your heroics.
I think she's trying to subtly troll me. All right, fine.
Triss reluctantly unhooked herself from me and walked with Litta to the lake, while Mosaic went through her things, looking for something.
The fifth man had long since fled, and our little fight left only three corpses, not four. A blow to the head sent the big man who'd come at me first to his death.
I cleaned the blood from my sword and dagger and put them back where they belonged.
There was no point in picking up the corpses, they were simple men who could only take a few pennies from them, and in front of my mother's old friend it was unseemly to do so.
- Little Triss was very impressed with your art of defending the fair ladies. Normally, when a young man pierces flesh with an oblong object, it's more likely to be survived and even enjoyed. But Ian doesn't seem to have taught you that aspect of life. She's understandable, she's a mum after all.
- So what did you decide to teach me instead of mum? - I smiled innocently.
She lifted my chin with two fingers and looked straight into my eyes, searching them for something, then looked me over.
- You be a good boy, maybe I'll teach you.
- Hmm. - I gently pulled her hand away from my face. - If I let you, Coral.
- Ha ha ha ha ha, the cocky, handsome brat. Just like his mother. All right, we'll pick up where you left off. After all, I was just on my way to see her. I haven't seen my friend for a long time.
- Do you know where Philippa Eilhart's house is? - I asked.
- Of course I do. So you live with her? - I nodded. - All right, I'll open the portal. I don't want to walk like you, and our horses are old nags anyway, and we won't need them, so let them stay with the peasants. Mosaic! Hurry up and open the portal.
- Yes, Mistress.
Thirty seconds later we were in our temporary home, and I was surprised to see Philippa, Taren and Mum sitting together discussing something. I still hadn't cleaned the blood off my shirt. It was for this reason that Mum's eyes widened first in surprise and then in fear.
- Damian!
- It's not my blood! - I warned her right away, but that didn't save her from groping and examining my body.
- That's what a young man does to an old sorceress. - grinned Litta Neid. - To think that I haven't seen you, Jennyfair, for six years, and you've taken to your perfectly healthy boy in the first place and don't notice the guests.
- What's wrong, Coral? - Mum breathed a sigh of relief after making sure I was all right and turned in her direction.
- Nothing much, as they say, just everyday problems. We were swimming in the lake, when five of some kmets came to the shore and demanded our exit to have fun with them. I even thought of going out and roasting their fat carcasses, but your son, seeing such a situation, decided to save the "defenceless ladies". In the end, he killed four of the idiots and let the fifth escape, thanks to the pleas of little Triss, who clung to him with a dead grip and burst into tears. I never cease to be convinced that a crying sorceress is a pathetic sight. True, she's justified by her age. But you know," she smiled slyly, looking at me. - It was so romantic and tearful, like in those poems and stories written by the verbiage of the Ochsenfurth. It reminded me of my youth and my first love.
- You like to talk, Coral, but you're getting on in years. - Philippa grinned and came over to greet her with a kiss. - But still, it's good to see you, mate.
- You, as always... you look so-so.
- And you, as always, can't think of anything more substantial than the little stiletto that's been left in your red hair since Arethusa? - Eilhart was clearly friendly towards Coral. Didn't realise they were 'school friends'. - It's a pleasure to welcome you to my home. Who's your student?
- Same as us, Arethusa alumna Mosaic. Tenacious and talented in medicine, but annoying at times. But not an inconvenience. Well, I'll take care of that.
- Once again I am convinced that you do not know how to treat the younger generation of wizards with tolerance and understanding. - Taren Merigold shook his head disapprovingly, stroking the already calm Triss. - You've always been sharp and willful. The sun would probably blacken forever before you changed.
- You never asked the old geezer," Coral turned her back on him. - Have you been teaching your son magic?
- Of course, and he's making great progress. - Mum boasted.
- Taren and I can attest to that. - our chief schemer backed her up. - As long as I've been watching him, I've never ceased to be amazed at his hunger for knowledge and persistence. I've never seen anything like it.
- Then why didn't he use it against the Kmet?
- He wanted to test the sword on them. - I answered honestly and realised that I was about to get a lecture from my mother about my "presumptuous prank". - I will always be able to use magic and win with it. But I was interested in fighting an opponent with steel.
- Not much of an opponent. - Coral hummed, and settled down on one of the free chairs.
- Alas, I can't find any others yet, or rather, I don't want to find any far from my mother. Who will protect her?
- Does Jennyfair need protecting? I would never have thought so.
- Well, you and Mosaic did, didn't you? There's no need to make those eyes. There's no shame in it, sometimes even you need to be protected, even in the way I did. After all, if you could have defended yourself then, you wouldn't have kept silent for long and ignored the irritating individuals from the shore. But as luck would have it, I wanted to fish there, so you need not thank me for saving your honour and peace. No, no, don't say unnecessary words, Mrs Coral, you'd better rest and heal your heartache with delicious biscuits and wine. And with your permission, I'll go to my room to rest. Good day to you! - and immediately left the conversation to his room, hearing everyone laughing.
A little joke was appreciated. But I'm still going to get a bit of a bang for my buck. But that's okay.
In the evening, after I'd had my bath and been reprimanded by my mother for my "prank" and forbidden to leave the house without her knowledge, that is, actually without her, we all sat down at the table, where I heard the latest news from the city, as well as the backstory of Coral's appearance here in Oxenfurt.
Visimir and his wife had secretly managed to get their eldest daughter Mellegarda into Arethusa through the aforementioned wizards, for she was gifted and barren, as most wizards and wizards are. So for succession to the throne or big politics she plays no serious role, but as a counsellor to her possible younger brother she will be useful. She went there as Mila of Tretogor.
In addition, Temeria and Redania, or rather Foltest and Visimir, never agreed on a marriage alliance between the king of Temeria and another, already younger daughter of Visimir. But Taren is not giving up, and it seems to me that there are other points besides this marriage that they want to agree on.
Then there was some small talk about the latest gossip in mage society and so on. At the end Coral told everyone that for a while she had been living and doing a little errand in Kerak to establish a "lawful authority", and after a series of laws were passed there that effectively banished mages from those places, she had left Kerak for her homeland and then Kovir, and six months ago she decided to catch up with us and meet her mother as a surprise, so she dropped by Eastredd's house unannounced. Then she found out our approximate route and was expecting us in Ard Carraig, but even then she had no luck, then she decided to wait for us in Wengerberg after the Great Gathering, giving a message to Mum. But she told her that we were going to Vyzima, so Coral went to Vyzima, and there she got a message that we were in Oxenfurt. Coral took offence for a while, having had a brief affair with Foltest and having "cooled down" she found us here.
And after the story with Coral, Philippa offered to finally move to her estate in Tretogor for the winter, as the king calls her for service. And Mum's had enough of this place. And I was anticipating that soon after Tretogor, or maybe during my stay there, I would finally be able to visit Rinda.
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