Unconquered Sun (33 page)

The prince densely reddened. Yes, something similar he, is remembered, caught a glimpse in the palace of the Sea Queen, but somehow did not find time to allocate time to plainly consider them - it pulled there, here. Mermaids, as we know, splendidly sociable people …

- And you too all this a vytolkla from sinks? - Prinze was surprised. It faced just a big mosaic picture in which the blood-red decline over the Sea was represented. The reddish sun and reddish reflections of the setting sun on water were poured by ruby sparks.

- No, of course, - the Voice answered. - From where to me to take them here? Generally I used different colors of the glass broken in crumbs, but ruby tone which you see in each picture, are the rubies ground in a crumb …

Here Prinze did not sustain.

- Listen, the Invincible Sun and you are direct some artist! I also did not think that you are such …

- … And what you thought? - suddenly with undisguised curiosity asked the Voice.

- N-at-at-at that you are a powerful magician, imperious, cruel, ruthless, dangerous …

Prinze's voice interrupted a loud metal ringing.

- Well and correctly you thought, I really such! But, as you see, and another too … And you … it is valid … it is pleasant?.

- Very much! - and Prinze did not tell lies. Pictures were really magnificent.

Again both became silent. And then Prinze suddenly felt how something touched his neck and lips burningly-more hotly. He felt how his all body becomes soft - such feeling happens when you plunge into a hot bathtub. The wave of burning pleasure swept on all body - from the top to toe. From pleasure it so without restraint clogged heart that, appear, just about will escape from a breast, breath intercepted, before eyes multi-colored circles floated …

But while the pleasure became absolutely intolerable, the touch stopped. The prince hardly managed to lean the elbows on a cast gold column not to fall.

- No … Still it is impossible for you … - passionate whisper was distributed in the head. - Your flesh is too weak to stand me … You will die even before time …

- Are h h - what? What it … was? - convulsively swallowing of air, licking the burned cracked lips, Prinze puzzly asked.

- Kiss … Only the small kiss of the Invincible Sun, that's all … - rang out a hand bell. - Well as, it was pleasant? Yes? Here when you will pass through the Stream Gate, you will become same strong as I, and then will prevent nothing to us, nothing any more … All right, leave well enough alone, ran, I will show you and stained-glass windows too - such that Avalon will seem you just pathetic pieces of glass!

And, continuing to ring hand bells, the ghost ran in following the hall.

- … And it the hall - Glass! - triumphantly the Hostess exclaimed.

Here Prinze could not utter words at all. All hall was entirely from cast multi-colored glass. Columns were glass, statues were glass, the throne and chairs, candelabrums and all the rest was glass.

- Glasses are picked up such flowers which enter a range of a ray of sunlight. You remember? "Each Hunter Zhelayet Znat, Where the Pheasant Sits"? - and again gold hand bells rang out.

"Yes - and-and", - Prinze thought, "this zapominalka of the fairy is learned in the first class to School of fairies, really She still remembers it? Means, the sun not completely burned her memory …"

Glass reflected and refracted sunshine so that hall just rolled in multi-colored spots of sunlight which, in addition, constants jumped and ran on the room as the presents. The prince at first could not understand why, and then noticed, as columns and all other objects slowly rotated on different axes.

- That's great! Listen, the Invincible Sun, but the real sun already set for a cloudlet, and your glass still everything reflects!

- And I never have in the Tower a sun and does not set, even at night, - the answer followed right there. - My mirrors as you noticed, probably, magic. They accumulate solar energy, and then when the sun sits down or hides for clouds, begin to radiate this energy. So pay attention tonight if, of course, again you do not fall asleep today as a groundhog (a ring of hand bells) - everything will be shines here and everywhere … However, at night when the moon and stars ascends, my mirrors switch over reflections to the mode again and reflect already lunar and star light … However, you will see! Keep in mind - do not hope - today I to you will not allow to sleep! - And again joyful and melodious ringing of hand bells.

- "Something painfully often she began to laugh, - Prinze puzzly thought. - And at the first meeting - a worm yes a worm and glazishcham - zyrk-zyrk! And now - well it is direct
hospitable
some
hostess
… What to it there was it? I do not understand … All these so unclear female sorcerers!"

- E-e-y, Prinze, you what - again reflected? Let's go, I will show you stained-glass windows … - and something hot pushed Prinze in a back again.

It approached windows. They were much more here, than in other halls. All glass part of windows, big - in slightly human Rostov, was laid out from pieces of color glass on the same landscape subjects.

However, Prinze paid special attention to regularity. On stained-glass windows, as well as on other types of pictures, except animals, flowers - roses, narcissuses, chrysanthemums, orchids, even cornflowers and camomiles figured prominently. However, everywhere it was to the place. For example, where camomiles - were right there represented the bees pollinating them where roses - the magnificent garden on which color parrots fly is right there represented and playful monkeys where edelweisses - high mountains with the rare vegetation and eagles soaring in height run.

- Creator! - again did not stand Prinze. - Yes on one such window at you time a great lot left, probably!

- Years one and a half not less - the Voice right there responded. - So far the image until I draw it until I pick up materials will ripen in the head …

- And it was not boring for you?! It is made so much here!

- You know if you have excess twenty thousand years of free time - I will look what you with it will do, - hooked its Voice.

The prince scratched the top and gave a whistle - such figures did not find room in his head.

- Even I do not know … Probably, I would bypass all lawns, a scaffold, the small river and Tselestiya's mountain and would get acquainted with all its inhabitants. To me not to make stained-glass windows is precisely … - but here the puzzled face of the Prince suddenly lit up - But I like to write down animals and landscapes on the memorable crystal, for me it …

- … I know-know, - hasty interrupted its Voice. I studied all your memory thoroughly. You think, I would begin to show you all this if did not know that you are such …

- What?

He felt a light touch to a cheek again - as though some invisible hand touched it.

- Such to what it is necessary! What silly questions are? Let's go, we a lot at what should look …

But here the stomach at Prinze foully zaurchat. The sun already passed in a midday long ago, and he still had even not dinner. He did not manage to tell anything how the Invincible Sun already laughed:

- Oh, sorry, I absolutely wore out you as a toy, and you had not dinner yet! And well we will go back in Emerald! I order to lay for you a table - we will have dinner!

- And unless you … eat? - having with astonishment begun to clap eyelashes, Prinze asked.

- Well, of course, is not present, the silly fellow! I will just sit with you for the company, I will feed you! - and again ringing of hand bells. And then something seized Prinze by a hand and dragged back, in the Emerald Hall.

3.

Really, in the Emerald Hall the long table which also entirely is poured out of gold which was laid by a golden silk cloth was already laid. Gold golems silently displayed the last dishes. The menu included only those dishes which were loved by Prinze - purely vegetarian food. There were also strawberry with cream, and fresh vegetables salads, and many other things, only the pink food was not.

- Well as? - triumphantly asked the Voice.

- You took my tastes from my memory, huh? too

- Of course, and where still! I have no only pink food, do not judge too severely - pink clouds are even inaccessible for me.

But Prinze was not upset at all. During excursion he fairly got hungry and now was ready to eat anything. But only it stretched to food as heard the Voice.

- Hey, hey, wait, I want to feed you, I the Hostess, whether so here?

And with these words one of the gold chairs decorated on a back with big emeralds itself "approached" Prinze and stopped nearby. The dish with strawberry rose in air and berries one by one began by itself to fly up in air.

- And well, open a mouth, give, be not capricious! - melodiously the hand bell rang out.

- What jokes such are? - he took offense. - Let's eat I as the normal person!

- Well-well, give, be not capricious! I, maybe, want to feed you! And my will here the law, understood? Eventually, you are my first guest for twenty thousand years! So give - enjoy hospitality! - And with these words the Prince felt a burning touch to a cheek and a mouth, against his will again, itself opened. Then in it the solid portion of strawberry flew.

- Well, here and well! Here and clear head! Gorge on, porosenochek! - metal hand bells rang out.

The prince felt in idiotic situation, he wanted to take offense and spit out everything eaten. But for some reason it did not do it. No, not so much because of fear to contradict will of the imperious and powerful hostess, how many …

- Listen, the Invincible Sun, - having hardly chewed a portion of some vegetables, Prinze asked, - and why you did not marry why you have no children?

Again for some time the burdensome pause hung. And then suddenly in air the gold spoon flew up and slightly slapped Prinze on a forehead, the metal laughter was again distributed.

- And you turn out not such prostachok as you seem! Nothing … all this is reparable … And now taste this fruit. It is ready to argue that you at all never ate it - it grows only in the Distant South. Especially for you they were brought by my gold servant.

And from a gold dish quite big piece of the fleshy red fruit cut on part covered with a thin thin skin rose. It seemed, exotic fruit consisted of one red juice which impregnated pulp as water - a sponge. It flew up directly to Prinze's mouth and hardly got into it. Fragrant sweet juice and gentle pulp filled a mouth - fruit was really very tasty. At Prinze cheeks as at a hamster were inflated and the metal laughter deafened him.

- Well, you are just some hamster! You would see yourself from outside! Well, you chew-chew better, and that you will choke still …

… - So, has dinner? Well, everything, went further, and that to a decline we will not be in time.

- And why to a decline?

- Because after a decline at me for you - other program, that is why, - and again Prinze was hit a spoon on a forehead. - Went quickly until I started missing! Forward!

This time their way lay in Library.

"What the vast object, the Creator is?!" - Prinze thought about himself.

Height about the decent 10-storey house. Stilazhi, stilazh, stilazh … to the ceiling! Huge thick volumes - red, green, blue, black, yellow … The leather covers sheathed by gold plates and latches.

- Really you read all this? I will not believe for anything! - asked, lifting up the head up, Prinze.

- Of course. However … I do not need to read the book as to you. It is enough to me to look at the book, and I already see it through. You forget, the little man with Whom you deal! I am not a simple fairy, I am a representative and the ancestor of absolutely other race, race divine and perfect in every respect, I …

But Prinze did not listen to its philosophical outpourings any more. Its voice sounded somewhere on the periphery of his consciousness. Prinze's attention was engrossed entirely by books. Removing them from shelves one for another and trying to understand at least according to the name what in it is written. Prinze was a big fan to esteem.

Here, Prinze took one book in green cover. On a cover by gold letters it was written: "About transformations" and is slightly lower - "The master of a tranzitologiya, the fairy of the 3rd rank, the leading researcher of department No. 1-14".

The prince opened the first page and tremblingly the neophyte aloud read the name of a subtitle: "How to turn a donkey into a goat". Point first. "Before being engaged in transformation of a donkey into a goat, it is necessary to answer a question as far as this transformation is actual from the point of view of the put fairy of a magic task …."

"Well-at-at, it is not interesting, - Prinze thought, - and is farther that? Ah, here": "Draw a figure No. 1 (The appendix 15, p. 414) by means of make-shifts, then place object in the central sector of a figure (The appendix 16, p. 515). Mentally say a formula No. 5 (see the Appendix 27, on p. 577)".

"Well, here", - Prinze thought, - "also the page needs to be looked for! Well, where it?"

- I see, you were interested in magic, my Kind Prinze? - the metal voice was again distributed in the head. - Not strongly you were indulged it by your dear wife, isn't that so?