The Mist and the Lightning. Part 19

Dismounting, Kors walked over to a small but deep stone trough for horses. It was installed near a spring under the canopy of trees, especially so that travelers heading to the desert lands could refresh themselves and water their horses before a long journey. He gladly dipped his palms into the cool water, transparent on the surface and mysteriously dark green in the depth, pierced by thin sunbeams breaking through the crowns of trees. Clasping his hands, he scooped up water, at the same time bending down and pouring it over his face flushed from the race. He did this again and again, unable to stop and closing his eyes with pleasure. He was in good spirits, he was glad that he agreed to this walk. Finally stopping, Kors with some boyish enthusiasm, smiling, turned his wet face to Arel. Arel stood and looked at him, looking somehow very strange, and there was not even a shadow of an answering smile on his face.

“Arel, are you all right?” Kors continued to smile by inertia, but the expression on Arel’s face already frightened him, and he didn’t like it.

“Yes,” Arel answered, and his voice was strange.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kors was seriously worried. Arel looked like he was about to have an epileptic fit.

“Arel? Arel!” Kors quickly approached him, slightly shook him by the shoulders, trying to pull him out of his bad state. Obeying an inner unconscious impulse, he suddenly hugged him tightly, trying to calm him down like a child and get him out of this strange stupor. Arel didn’t move away, he stood motionless, petrified in the arms of Kors, like a statue. And the horses, without waiting for the command of the owners, themselves approached the drinking bowl and began to quench their thirst, snorting loudly and spinning their ears.

Finally, feeling that Arel became softer in his hands, and seemed to relax a little, coming out of his stupor, Kors let him go:

“Maybe you will sit down?” he asked with concern. “Because of your damn makeup, I can’t see the color of your face, whether it is pale or red, and determine your condition in order to provide the right assistance. How do you feel? Tell me, I’ll try to diagnose according to your feelings.”

“It’s all right,” Arel said somehow forcedly, “let’s get out of here!”

He walked over to the drinking bowl and jerked Beauty’s reins sharply, pulling him towards himself, preventing him from drinking any more. He jumped into the saddle, turning to Kors for a moment.

“Vitor! Let’s go!”

“Well, well,” Kors shrugged, “as you say.”

He didn’t understand what happened to the prince, and wrote it off on his sore head, once again confirming for himself that Arel, unfortunately, inherited madness from his mother.

They turned towards the house, and Arel drove Beauty like crazy all the way back.

At this time, the stables were already bustling with activity. The unclean ones spoke loudly among themselves:

“What the time? Do you know? Noon, heh? Eh?”

“How do I know! What are you doing, are you hurrying somewhere? To your mommy? Aha-ha!”

Some of them were leaving through the gates, others came. All actions were accompanied by shouts and swearing:

“Thousand devils, get out of the way! Step aside!”

“Fat-faced, stop staring! Get out of here with your lousy nag!”

“Stop yelling, can’t you pass? Bitches!”

“Shove a dick in his pie hole!”

They yelled at each other, seeming to be having more fun and making a fuss than actually quarreling.

Inside it was a little quieter, but not considerably, and the grooms chattered non-stop among themselves:

“You see, I dozed off, imagine, in the hay, near this colt, and this fucking rat bit me here! Look here, see?!What the fuck!”

“Ha-ha-ha, your paw! You got drunk like a brute, and what the hell were you waiting for? It could bite your finger off!

“Death on four legs!”

“Thank your Gods that the ghoul didn’t drag you away, but only a rat bit you! They say that not long ago, it was flying around again, bled Kravshay.”

“The undead from Crimson Rock?!”

“It’s not from the Rock! It’s all because of the blacks! People dragged it with them from the city! I’m telling you, it’s all because of the people!”

Kors winced.

“Well, I’ve had enough of this shit!”

Handing Grrkh over to Adrian, he hurried out of the stable and quickly returned to the house, because he was already missing Nik.

Passing by outbuildings, near the well, he saw three women who were drawing water and also loudly clattering:

“This Estate is cursed! Damn! I wish to get out of here as soon as possible!” One said very emotionally.

“I don’t sleep at all,” the second one supported her, “the bear growls from night to morning, I get goose bumps from his growl, I feel fear!”

“Eh. The bear is nothing!” the third intervened. “The ghoul flies at night again! Huge, with black wings, like a bat!”

“Terrible!”

“I’m telling you, this is a cursed place!”

“It’s all because of the unclean ones! They dragged the ghoul with them out of their Limit! I tell you, everything is from the unclean ones!”