Unconquered Sun (88 page)

And fairies as pack of angry bees from the disturbed beehive, swarms flew around, not in forces to step over invisible line of the Citadel of the Invincible Sun, vainly sending damnations to the address of the fugitives who escaped from hands. And only one of them flitted not movably. It was visible how she crossed hands on a breast and looked in one point - there where lay, not in forces to recover from dreadful race, the choking Prinze. And hardly noticeable movement it sent it an air-kiss.

4.

Lily and Prinze's first day slept off, the benefit that to watch inviolability of borders of the Gold Hall there was no need. All magical mirrors are automatically ready for defeat of any stranger by the solar energy reflected in trillions krat. So the possibility of frontal attacks on a citadel of the Invincible Sun was completely excluded.

And for the second day Prinze could not find Lily anywhere. However, he was not surprised to it at all. It had property to vanish suddenly and to appear suddenly, and he got used to it.

But when it did not find it and for the third day, Prinze fairly began to worry. He searched all halls and rooms of the Hall, came even into a secret laboratory, but Poured was not anywhere. Then it left in the Gold Garden to breathe fresh air and here, at the very end of Vlyublennykh Avenue it also found it.

Lily did not disappear. She sat on a shop a back to Prinze and quietly sang something under a nose, some children's song, touching gold leaves in the thin tiny handles. Nearby gold canaries chirped, gold parrots and monkeys ran on branches, but Lily did not pay attention to them - she only touched leaves and sang … something gentle, children's, some rhyme about the nature, about a grass and about the playful little leverets frolicing on the sun.

The prince felt ill at ease. At it even the thought of that flashed, but whether Lily from the latest events went crazy?

He hardly not on tiptoe approached closer, without wishing to find himself, but Poured, without turning around, told:

- I am glad you to see, the road. Whether well you spent these days without me? Whether missed? - in its voice attempt to grin was heard, but the smile left painfully sad.

- Lily, I do not understand why you from me hide the fourth day in a row? Perhaps I offended you?

- Yes there is no, darling, - still, without facing him, Lily answered. - You here not and. I was afraid to be too persuasive …

This time Prinze did not sustain.

- Well, all enough! I more so cannot! - he resolutely approached Lily, sharply took her by hand, attracted an easy, air body of the fairy to himself and strong embraced. She did not oppose, powerlessly and softly as a rag doll, having given it to embraces.

But hardly only Prinze embraced Lily as he felt something strange. As though something rested - firm and elastic - against his stomach.

He was quickly discharged of Lily and looked down … From surprise it began to whirl the head, he felt badly.

At Lily quite voluminous stomach which is sticking out from under a thin golden silk tunic was visible. Even a belt with a sun emblem which always fastened a tunic on a thin waist of Lily, was not now not to constrain a stomach.

- Ch-what is it? - pointing a finger shivering on a stomach, it is hardly heard Prinze whispered.

Lily right there left a coma, thoughtful and sad state in which still stayed, having instantly turned into that, former, Lily what she was only four days ago. On it the venomous smile zazmeitsya, the look became steel and cold:

- And how you think? Or you forgot what we with you did on "Stone Tooth"?

The prince right there reddened as cancer and stared at tips of the sandals. Some time was not enough for it breath, and it an open mouth took air as the fish cast ashore not in forces to pronounce words. Lily Ispytyvayushche looked at it, having slightly blinked eyes, with a faint humiliating smile, as if speaking to these: "Well you will answer it now, daddy?"

At last, Prinze mastered himself and said by the shivering voice:

- But … it … is impossible … it is impossible … passed … only … four days …

- Very much it is even possible, my dear Prinze, very much even … four days in four months - everything is logical. In five days I will already give birth to our little little son, in five days …

- But how?! Even fairies cannot accelerate pregnancy term, it is impossible! - The prince from surprise sat down on the next shop, under other gold tree as if being afraid of the neighbourhood with Lily and clasped with hands the head as though being afraid that it will be got at it off the back, having broken all laws of the nature, also as they were broken by Lily.

But Poured, having stopped scoffing, suddenly again became weakly and sad, as before, at the beginning of conversation. She quietly approached Prinze's shop, sat down with him nearby and very quietly stroked him on hair:

- Dear Prinze, my dear … Swear to me, darling, directly here and now, swear before this blue sky, swear before this hot sun, swear before this mountain, swear to me that
when I die, you will not give
THEM my little little son, EVEN AT THE PRICE OF the LIFE you will not give?! You will not allow THEM to make of it "vegetable" or a drone, as of others! Swear to me right there, without descending from this place, swear! - Each time Lily's voice became louder and stronger, and in the end she already almost shouted and shook it for shoulders, but Prinze still scaredly held hands the head, his face became more pale than chalk.

And Lily continued, already loud and imperious voice. She got up from a bench and, facing Prinze so his eyes directly looked at her volume stomach:

- Well, be a man at least now, Prinze! Swear to me that they will not get my son! That he will become the real man, but not breeding cattle or a pet that he will become a magician, the great wizard as Azail or the great soldier as Roland Drevny. Cross your heart! Or you will never receive my son even on hands! Well!

And here Prinze was reached, at last, by sense of her words. And it brought him out of a state of shock at once. He jumped and the eyes opened from a terrible guess took a broad view of Lily, took it for brittle thin shoulders and slightly shook it:

- You … you …. You … were going to die perhaps, Poured? You what, went crazy, expensive?

But this time roles them exchanged. The determination abandoned Lily again and the eyes which suddenly lit up was combative predatory fire, dragged on pavoloky. She drearily sighed, hung hands and the head and turned away from Prinze in a vain attempt to hide the tears.

- I die, my dear, my darling, Prinze, I die … Day in a month, day in a month, day in a month …

- What do you tell it, Poured?! You what - ached with something?!

But Lily turned to Prinze again, embraced him and having sat down on a bench under a sprawling gold oak, slapped a palm nearby, inviting to sit down also it. The prince sat down. It quietly took his palm in the and quietly ironed it, and tears slid on her cheeks large peas.

- Lily, answer me what is with you? What does all this mean?

- Just I am pregnant, and you know that at pregnant women everyone happens - in tears, in laughter, they feel sick, pulls on different delicacies... It usually … - and she bitterly smiled to the ridiculous attempt by a joke to delay inevitable recognition.

- Lily, I wait! - and Prinze with the eyes full of pain and alarm, looked in Lily's eyes, and she for the first time did not sustain a look.

- You know, Prinze, we, fairies, are young and beautiful not just like that … We are such while we drink juice and we eat cotton candy from pink clouds - a source of our force. I do not have it … and will not be, and therefore I promptly begin to grow old - day in a month, day in a month, day in a month …

- But …

- Earlier I was merged with the Stream and received force from there, besides I had no body …

- But why you needed this body why???

- And you still did not guess, silly? - Lily looked it fool in the face.

The long pause hung in mid-air.

- You made it for the sake of me?! - with horror Prinze as from infected with pestilence started back from it.

- For the sake of you … and for the sake of the child … - said Lily in low tones. And then, suddenly having stridently and rapaciously looked in eyes to Prinze, almost hissed as a snake: - Yes, for the sake of you and for the sake of the child I killed two fairies, and turned one into a bat!

The prince hid the face in hands and moaned, having kneeled.

- However, - again quietly and peaceful said Lily, - they are already revenged because I die … and cannot avert my death any more anything. I knew about it and went to it … for the sake of you … for the sake of the son … Here therefore I so quickly get fat and I will so quickly give birth to the child - day in a month … Isn't that so, very conveniently? How many it is possible to give birth to kids in a year at such speed, and? - And Lily through force laughed. - Though something useful in it is …

And then she got up near Prinze and lowered handles to him on the head and began to stroke softly his hair, mentally saying the calming spells:

- More quietly, more quietly, darling, you here at anything … do not blame yourself … And nobody learns about the child, even your Fairy … - Poured bitterly smiled. - It will be mine, and only mine! Eventually, for these tens of thousands of years of loneliness I deserved to myself the right for the child, isn't it?

The thought of the child gave Lily's forces. She turned away from Prinze and approached the region of the avenue which was coming to an end with break - where below was seen the Gorge covered with white fog. Cold mountain wind stirred up her head hair. She opened hands towards to wind as if intending to fly up and greedy inhaled this incomparable invigorating aroma of mountains in the lungs - aroma of wild force and freedom which is conducted only to mountain eagles, and her eyes, without squinting at all, openly looked at the scorching midday sun as then … many thousands years ago … But now the sun did not cause hatred in Lily. No, Poured now was what to be proud before the sun. Let it be more beautiful and more powerful than Lily, but now Lily has it, there is her own little son who already began to live in her belly and very soon will be born and which the sun does not have - and will never be!

- Yes, I deserved this right. And I will give birth to him, and he will be a great wizard and the soldier, and will make a set of great feats and will top himself with undying glory! Yes! I will devote it to this hot Sun that looks at me! I and will call it - Svetonosets, Lucifer, our way, - and he will bring to this world light and will take vengeance on for me my enemies! - Lily's voice amplified, became louder and louder, and she cried out the last words in all power of the lungs and made the menacing gesture to the sky with which she continued to argue internally.

- Yes! - Lily continued to shout. - It will overthrow damned mad "Knowledge" from a throne, he will begin to govern the Universe and all will live forever and happily and freely! He will be the eternal king of the Sunflower Universe, and the changed Azail will be his wise mentor! Yes, - the last word Lily told, having already calmed down, a low voice.

From its shout Prinze recovered and with horror listened to these mad words. He ran up to Lily and seized her by shoulders and several times shook:

- Think again, mad! Do tell? You unless do not know that maternal blessing, especially at fairies, can come true? Mad! What you doom my son to! Become silent, immediately!

- Also I will not think! - having pushed away from itself Prinze, Lily cried. - Also I will not think! This is my son, mine and only mine! And if it does not arrive as I speak, I will damn it, let his life then will be more bitter than death!

- Become silent! Become silent! - Prinze to Lily rushed and, having seized her, clamped her a mouth. But Lily did not oppose. - Went crazy, silly!? Well? Let's go from here, here it is cold, - Prinze already almost tenderly told, as if spoke with the small child. - You should take care, the child can suffer …

The prince suddenly took Lily on hands as child, and incurred her back, deep into avenues and again put her on a bench. He took her hands in the and several times kissed them, and then, keeping her palms in the and looking it directly in eyes, so gently and so humbly, said in low tones:

- Poor, poor Lily, oh, the Creator as I love you! As I do not want to lose you, and my little son too! Though you also do not want to give me the child, but I am his father, and I can give him the blessing too …

- And what blessing you will give it? - with curiosity Lily looked at it.

- I want that my son did not stain the hands with others blood that he was a kind wizard and directed all the art to the help of persons in need, suffering and obidimy, those who are weaker than it … - with these words he carefully put palms on Lily's stomach. - You hear me, the peanut?

Suddenly the child moved in mother's belly.

- You hear?! You hear?! He answers me! - delighted Prinze cried and triumphantly looked at Lily. Their views met.

This instant of Prinze remembered then well. Never, nevermore he saw Lily such, up to her death …

The look of her big blue eyes was such human, such female, such maternal … Her pacified person exhaled waves of love and tenderness from which at Prinze the head began to spin. He gave in to a rush of feelings and kissed Lily.