Unconquered Sun (26 page)

- M-r-r-r-mya-at-at! Just in fog something clicked in the head, we fell asleep, and woke up only half an hour ago. That's all … - the Kitten added.

- Well and it is nice, children, well and is nice! Slava Sozdatelyu! All is good! - the Fairy continued to smile and lowered both Animals on the earth. And then her face became strict again, she turned to boys behind the back and told:

- You are free, go to your new hostesses. Though on your place, I still would think whether costs …

But all five "hunters" already ran up to boys and, having taken them by hands, with joyful laughter dragged them somewhere in a thicket.

- Well, now we in calculation, - Cora stated. - We will leave other mutual claims for later. The sun already set, and the moon just about will appear. We have a solemn rite on a nose. To stay for a while welcome. In any case, my presence is obligatory there. Let's talk then.

- What with you still to speak to us about? - having unfriendly sparkled eyes, the Fairy told.

- Is about what, expensive, is about what … Without me you all the same will not get out of the Thicket and, I think, to you it can be rather interesting. Let's go. Rise on the Bald mountain still is necessary to us. It is not close …

What to do? Reluctantly, the Fairy with Animals went to a way. And the way really was not close.

7.

From an izba the footpath really went sharply up. In the dark almost nothing was visible, and the moon did not ascend yet, and therefore the fact of rise could be felt, but what the mountain such as it looked from outside is - it was only possible to guess. Another thing is that what it really "Bald", became obvious even for going in total darkness. Soon the dense wood was replaced by a light forest, a light forest - a bush, and a bush - the naked stone here and there covered with rare bald spots of a rigid and small grass. It was not closer to the top even of a grass, there was one naked stone. The fairy easily imagined how the mountain can look from outside - from below is covered with the wood, a grass, and from above absolutely naked as a skull of the growing bald person, sideways still absolutely hairless covered with hair, and from above.

When travelers finished rise, the moon already almost reached a zenith and a white stone (whether quartz, whether marble) of which the mountain consisted began to shine a set of sparkles. The mountain became really beautiful, mysterious, some fantastic. The fairy widely opened eyes and, looking at this miracle, gasped. It seemed that stones were covered by a great number of glowworms.

- Well as, it is pleasant? - triumphantly Cora grinned, having noticed expression of her eyes. - The bald mountain - our main shrine in the Reserved Thicket though there are also other shrines - sacred groves, sources, stones, whirlpools. They are wonderful too and possess a big magic power - force of the wood and night. But the Bald Mountain is a special place. In total here it is penetrated by magic, especially in full moons …

Cora somehow mysteriously and pensively smiled, and in its black as night almond-shaped eyes some strange spark, something otherworldly and voluptuous flashed. But it lasted only a moment, then it continued by the usual semi-derisive, haughty tone:

- Therefore we make sacraments of marriage on the Bald Mountain, in the period of full moons, but there is more to come … Look at its top, - the Fairy looked there where Cora specified and saw there, at the top, some strange construction. It reminded a set of the big stones which are vertically standing around in several rows. On vertically standing stones others from above were put.

In the center of this construction there was a big black flat stone - exactly same, as at an izba. Stones of a construction were from other material, than the mountain - deadwhite. They also shone, but some opaque, deathly light as a face of the dead person drowned man under the full moon. Therefore, looking at these stones, to the Fairy and Animals it became a little horrible. They reminded them oshcherivshiyesya the broken-off teeth (stones stood unevenly) on the lower jaw of some prehistoric skull which is just taken out from a grave.

To distract from gloomy thoughts, the Fairy asked:

- What strange such structure is? The first time I see it …

- No wonder. From fairies you the first who for many millennia stepped into this mountain. It is our main shrine on the Bald mountain - the temple of the Moon. You see, stones are put round - they repeat a silhouette of the full moon. Here we make our most solemn rites - marriage, the contract,
an oath
(Cora told, having expressively looked at the Fairy) which have indestructible character as during lifetime, and on death. But not we built this temple. This place - very much, very ancient, not less ancient, than the Limit zone. Its history is up to the end unknown to us, roots leave deep into Dark Centuries, and I will better hold back the guesses …

And Cora really became silent. Her look took a pensive otherworldly form again and to look at her face was even more terrible, than on a structure. It also as the Moon reflected some deathly otherworldly light and it seemed rather-faced some ghost, than the living being.

The fairy turned away and chilly shrank. Animals drearily trudged at the legs, being afraid to depart from the Hostess not to be lost in this strange terrible place.

At last, rise ended and travelers approached stones. Close they were very high, approximately in thirty averages human Rostov.

"Standing near them, - the Fairy thought about herself, - involuntarily you feel as a tiny grain of sand, a muravyishka which is possible before powerful forces majeure of the nature. It seems that these forces only till time suffer you, but once it wakens, they will slam you - and will not even notice it …"

The fairy did not want to go in a circle of stones, but their way, apparently, lay exactly there.

In a structure - between ranks of stones, and also between an internal ring of stones and the Black flat stone - there was quite long distance - approximately steps to one thousand. And therefore there very many guests could go in. And them was valid much …

With Cora about fifty night hunters came, on the place was not less than fifty, but guests continued to arrive. Continually from a distance there were groups of black points which, coming nearer, turned into the black equestrians dashingly sitting on some strange animals like a black hog or a black goat. Magic animals spoke human language and loudly laughed.

Horsewomen were a match for them - a black flowing hair to shoulders or even to a belt, black the overalls fitting a body, black eyes which are densely made up by black ink, black lips leather tightly. Necklaces from teeth of wild animals or black pearls. And if to add still the wild laughter, strange and rough words and scraps of songs broken from their lips - at anyone could hand over nerves.

"Now I, apparently, understand, mya-at-at-at! - the Kitten thought about himself, - why they are at enmity among themselves - fairies and witches on these monsters. They have more distinctions, than at the moon with the sun, at day with a night … Horror!"

But ahead of Animals expected even more terrible show. When women landed, right there their strange animals - black goats, black hogs, flying black monkeys, black wolves and other - suddenly instantly turned in … men! But what strange men! Swarty, dark-haired, hairy, brawny, stocky, with a long head of hear, from legs to the head in black tannage - they were a match for the wives and reminded more volkolak, than people. In addition they spoke only in monosyllables, sharply, steeply, but loudly laughed and so that their white teeth brightly and ominously shone by the light of the full moon.

The Fairy had a resistant desire to seize Animals under hands and to depart from this "a vedminsky sabbath" (at people these concourses so were called) where far away, but she understood that it will be apprehended as cowardice, and even as an insult.

Cora noticed that the Fairy is nervous, and is malicious, having askance looked at her, told:

- Strange … And here it was pleasant to your Prinze. He quickly found a common language both with hunters, and with their husbands …

The fairy became crimson from the flowed blood, but she kept silent. Bark meanwhile continued:

- Therefore we each other also do not understand, expensive that we - different. You love a daylight, and we - night, you love pure feelings, and we are wild dark passions. Therefore we also could not get on then together. I well remember that told me on the eve of Split their Knowledge after "STING" informed their data that we make here. You, speak, turned away from light to darkness, and therefore you do not have the place in the country of light and good … Light and good! It is ingeniously told! - Cora floutingly grinned. - From what it a time solar photons acquired the ethical contents? Nonsense! We love the nature not less, than you, and people, by the way, too, just we like
other aspect
of that and another …

The fairy was not strong in dialectics, though received at School of fairies the five in this subject for diligence and assiduity, and therefore to think up that she could not object Cora, though felt that in her logician something not so. It is remembered, the teacher at School called such things "sophisms", but how to expose this "sophism", the Fairy did not know, and therefore has a snack a sponge and kept silent.

And at this time the moon reached a zenith and its deathly silvery-bluish light became such bright that it was possible to consider faces of all attendees, all details of clothes.

However, for hunters and darkness not the problem - at them is eyes as at cats, adapted to see in outer darkness.

All space in stones was filled arrived so apple had no place to fall. The same who lacked the place flew up on tops of stones and looked from above. Cora spent the fairy and Animals for herself, to northern part of a structure where the big throne from the same white stone sparkling under the moon settled down. On it Cora sat, and near her there were a Fairy and Animals.

As soon as it occurred as if from where struck thunder peals. Hairy men began to beat the big barrel-shaped black drums fitted by animal skin. The fairy remembered that such drums are used for the ritual dancings by natives of the Distant South.

Suddenly as suddenly, as began, noise stopped. Death silence set in.

Cora imperiously raised the right hand and by a loud gruffish chest voice said:

- A ceremony of commission of great sacrament of Love and Unity, I, the Night Queen, the Empress of the Reserved Thicket, declare open. To enter newlyweds! - also clapped.

Again drums hammered wild fraction. The fairy and Animals were deafened by applause of thousands of hands and howl also a rappberry of thousands of voices. And then the crowd parted. To a look of guests the path covered with the small white stone crumb sparkling at a moonlight opened. On it to the Black Stone newlyweds rose.

The fairy not without curiosity looked was on them, but right there densely reddened and bashfully turned away. She did not expect such brazen violation of morality and piety even from dryads.

Newlyweds were almost nude. From clothes on them there were only black nadbedrenny bandages. But their bodies from the head were to toe covered a set of bluish-violet tattoos. Scenes of hunting for wild animals, images of predatory animals and birds alternated with drawings of frankly erotic character here.

The fairy did not know where to hide eyes, but, seemingly, that the rest this show was obvious to taste. Shouts of approval and delight just deafened her. Animals in general were hidden for the hostess's back, preferring to see nothing at all.

The heads of newlyweds decorated wreaths from oak leaves, and necks - necklaces with teeth of some wild animals.

Young people - those who were seen by the Fairy in the afternoon - felt is held a little down. But "brides" … However, according to the Fairy, these maidens were absolutely unworthy such high rank assuming chastity.

And so, but "brides" felt in such look and in such society as fishes in water. They took visible pleasure from the fact that they appeared before guests in such look - it was visible on their frankly shameless and started movements.

But not nakedness, and their persons - the eyes burning with some wild passionate fire, white teeth with rapaciously outstanding canines, a bend of the sensual lips which imprinted in themselves defect traces was the most terrible in their appearance, according to the Fairy. What contrast in comparison with these semi-children whom and language will not turn to call "grooms"!

At that moment the Fairy bitterly regretted that she did not insist on the and by force did not send them home then, in the wood! But now was late … Now these young men already part of community of forest witches, and fairies are not imperious to interfere with internal life of other inhabitants of Tselestiya …

When under a rumble of drums newlyweds approached the Black Stone, everything abated.

Cora got up from the throne and slowly approached the first couple.

Then on a big black dish to it brought two cups from an ebony and filled them with some crimson-violet liquid. Then from hands of attendants the Night Queen accepted a black knife with the handle on which end of the handle the oshcherivshy mouth a panther was represented.

At death silence Cora took a hand of the first young man, almost still the boy with a down on a lip and cheeks both the sharp and fast movement of a black knife cut to it veins at the right wrist.