Unconquered Sun (18 page)

Then run of images, as suddenly as began, stopped.

The fairy sits and reads some black book with the image of fancy geometrical figures on pages. On a cover of the book upholstered with plates from blued steel the portrait of some beautiful young fair-haired man with a high clever forehead is forced out by silver. Under a portrait an inscription: Azailus, magister magicus. Tractatus de speculorum magicorum.

On an illustration, on that page that was read by the fairy, is represented a huge mirror. It settled down at top of the mountain and drop sunshine on its surface, and below there was a lonely figure chained to it …

"Ingeniously!. Ingeniously!. Just peachy!.. - the fairy whispered to herself under a nose. - Well, of course, as I did not guess at once! Mirror. A magic mirror which will absorb solar energy and to transfer it to me …".

With these words she jumped because of a table and walked on the room back and forth. Then suddenly stopped, quickly approached a window through which it was possible to observe unusually beautiful decline. The sun already almost completely set for the line of the horizon and all surface of Tselestiya shrouded twilight, and only the remote red haze which is let out by the last sunshine still interfered finally to triumph to darkness of night.

"Yes, if I make it, - looking at a picture of the dying decline, the fairy continued to whisper heatedly, - that sun will gradually go out, the world will plunge into darkness, the people vosplanut, and … - here her whisper, gradually amplifying, reached the shrill croaking shout from which stuffed up ears and it became sick on heart, - … I … I will become the Sun,
the Invincible Sun
, a deity for all this sunflower world! And all to worship Me One, will serve Me eternally and ETERNALLY to ADMIRE ONLY my SUPERNAL SOLAR LOVELINESS!" At these words the sun finally set for the line of the horizon and, really, light went out, and in darkness the triumphing laughter of the mad sorcerer was distributed.

Shots ran quicker and quicker …

Stop! Here the picture stopped again.

The fairy goes down in some underworld. It is surrounded by some offsprings of a gloom, inexpressibly ugly and terrible, reminding some whether spiders, whether scorpions, only in one and a half human growth. The movements of the fairy are imperious, in her hands the magic wand and bright light from her forces to start back dark beings and to obsequiously put forward pads in the manner of the mantis in the gesture expressing humility and obedience.

Still frames images run and run …

Here Animals see a huge black stone altar in a gloomy vault and in this altar the black trenches conducting somewhere are cut. All of them are covered with the dried-up brown blood.

There is a fairy. In her hands - a black sacrificial knife with a curve toothy edge and the black wooden handle, on which end - disgusting toothy nasekomya a mug from a zhvalama. The fairy is dressed in black clothes, and on a forehead at her - a black hoop with the same mug on a forehead, as on a knife. Her long nails are painted with a black varnish, and golden hair are taken away under a black scarf. Lips are black from lipstick, and eyes are made generously up the same color by ink.

Here the left hand it takes a little kitten. It is absolutely small, only just opened the blind eyes. He plaintively mews, peeps, calls mother, lifting up a pipe the thin small tail. But the fairy ruthlessly throws it on an altar and slowly cuts it on pieces. The kitten heartrendingly shouts and twitches in convulsions, blood streams flows on fillets somewhere, and the movement and peep gradually calm down. At last, the fairy throws that she remained from a kitten carcass aside, and the gloomy vile being with nasekomy paws brings it a cage with a small shchenochok. The puppy squeals a little and funny shakes the convex head with big trailing ears …

Animals shuddered for horror and disgust, seeing what destiny comprehends all these kittens, puppies, leverets, baby squirrels and other innocent creations.

Again frames images run and run …

Here they see how blood of animals flows on fillets and flows down on pipes down, in a big tub with the melted gold and merges with it. Then this heated weight is rolled at some underground huge metal rollers plant under the deafening blows of metal press. As a result gradually turns into a long thin gold leaf which is polished by thousands of krasnorozhy dwarfs while it does not get a form of a huge Mirror.

Again shots run …

And here, Animals see before themselves the highest mountain at which top as ants of gold golems and dwarfs build thousands which are pottering about of the gold bricks which are specularly polished, the Tower which becomes higher and higher is proud rising to heaven. On it, in turn, the wide and massive observation platform in the form of a disk is built. The general view of the Tower from outside reminded something the terrible fist raised in the menacing gesture to the blue sky and the sun which is brightly shining on it.

Still run of frames images …

Animals see, at last, the huge mirror which is set up at top of an observation deck. Dwarfs arrest to it gold chains the full-faced fairy, and on the horizon the dawn meanwhile is engaged though the sun is not visible yet. After that they in horror leave and the fairy appears one.

Animals were surprised to expression of her face - haughty, kingly majestic, cold, passionless and … ruthless. She with a call looks towards the coming dawn.

Here her lips slowly open and she says, loudly and imperiously: "I welcome you, the last dawn of the old sun. From now on for this world I will be the new sun! The era of the Order and Prosperity ended. Long live era
of the Invincible Sun!
"

At this moment the first beams of a rising sun concerned the gold polished surface of a mirror and - began!

Animals saw how the blue-yellow stream of sparks zastruitsya on gold chains and as if electric current struck in a body of the fairy - it began to shake so strongly that soon from it even steam went, and her head hair became on end.

But what surprise of Animals when the fairy was not frightened was, and, on the contrary, heartrendingly laughed loudly, upraising hands to the sky.

- YES! YES! YES! STILL! STILL! - laughing loudly at full blast, she shouted some already even not carrion crows, but by a demonic voice. - As it is fine how it is divine, what inexpressible pleasure! Oh, what this pleasure! Every moment there arrives in me force, power of the sun! I become stronger, all it is more beautiful, all are wiser! I become the Sun, truly
the INVINCIBLE SUN
!"

And, really, the figure of the fairy began to change literally in the eyes promptly. It added in volume, her eyes became brighter and brighter, from them bright yellow sparks already poured, here they began to radiate some strong light, just like beacon searchlights in night, from lips flame uvulas seemed. Her face began to remind the lamp lamp shade - so it began to shine some intolerable and bright fire from within. This person was really divinely beautiful. And eyes, on the contrary, began to get absolutely other expression - they grew old promptly, during the moments - for the millennia.

But here, in process of sunrise and increase in the beams falling on a surface of a magical mirror, the stream of sparks and electric blows promptly increased. Did not shake the fairy any more, and just stirred here and there and so that she also would not resist standing if not chains. Her head shook as at a toy and it was just already impossible to sort features. From a body brought down even not steam, and a black smoke, and behind a smoke seemed and … Fire!

The first uvulas of a flame escaped from eyes which instantly burned down. Then they captured her thick golden hair which in fractions of a second was twisted in black threads and were scattered in ashes. The flame captured her clothes, licked skin of her body so strongly and so densely that because of it even its nakedness was not visible. Her body reminded the flaring haystack or the faggot filled from all directions with fire.

All this occurred literally in several moments, and then Animals heard heartrending howl which in general cannot be correlated to anything from earlier slyshanny them - shrill, not human and not animal howl.

"And - and-and! Proklyatye! So should not be!!!! Not hochu-u-u-u-u-u!!!!!"

And then loud cotton was distributed and the flame disappeared. There was only a ball of whitish steam. Also the fairy disappeared. There is no nothing left more, even ashes, and in a moment also steam dissipated …

And the sun, having reached a zenith, continued to shine, as before, and to give to the whole world the life-giving heat and light.

6.

Vision ended, and Animals, literally fell from legs from endured. Kind half an hour they not in forces were to pronounce words.

The fairy was silent too. She thoughtfully looked at an illustration in the book where the scene of the burning fairy was just represented, and thought of something.

At last, Animals recovered and, having somehow got up, sat down on a bed edge.

- And what was farther? - they asked unanimously. - What became with this proud fairy? She died?

- No, fortunately for it, is not present … - still slowly and thoughtfully the Beautiful Fairy said, with detachment looking through Animals somewhere, as if even without noticing them. - There was a ghost, fiery soul which only and can what to be reflected in specially designed magical mirrors. Through these mirrors it gained awful ability to enslave and burn fire of soul of the victims acquired unprecedented force... - After a short pause the Fairy continued again. - And the haughty ghost of the former fairy remained to live in the Highest Tower on the Highest Mountain. And as the Tower was constructed of ideally polished and specially bewitched gold plates and bricks which reflected this not calmed down ghost, the Invincible Sun had an opportunity to be though partly seen - as reflection in a mirror. But out of the Highest Tower and out of Mirrors it could not live any more.

- And that, news agency! - the voice because of a doorway was suddenly distributed, - there more nothing is written?

It is Oslenok-shalopay, it appears, spotting through a keyhole, did not sustain and gave itself.

But the Fairy only perelistnut couple of pages of the book and negatively pomotat the head.

- No, unfortunately, there is nothing any more … And therefore your story, my darlings Zveryatki, - with a smile addressed the Kitten and the Puppy the Fairy, - is unusually important and valuable. It well supplements the history described in "The reference book of fairies" … - and tenderly frayed Animals, to them, it is necessary to tell, to the greatest pleasure, on soft plush heads.

About herself the Fairy with surprise thought of why it in "The reference book of fairies"
absolutely
there was no history known even to dwarfs and why, living 10 000 years on light, she knew nothing about the solar sorcerer
at all
…

But this thought was forced out from her consciousness by another, much more important soon: PRINCE!!! In what danger of death there is it! Just imagine! This mad can turn it into a lifeless ingot of gold in no time!

Heart of the Fairy missed a bit. "And suddenly it already …"

"Cannot be! - mentally she objected herself. - I feel, he is living! The intuition of the fairy cannot be mistaken!"

- So, Animals, will be enough talk here to part. Now came it is time to work. It is necessary to go and rescue Prinze! - resolutely the Fairy told.

- Ur - r - r - r - and - and - and-and! - unanimously the Kitten and the Puppy cried and began to jump from delight. - And where to go?.

________________________________________

1.

It is necessary to tell that the question of Animals was not idle, really the Fairy herself also plainly did not know where it is necessary to go. The matter is that she in general learned only tonight a story about the Invincible Sun, and in "Reference book" nothing was told by sense about location of the Gold Tower. Traces of Prinze to find even to the Puppy it appeared not in power. Such impression that it just departed from the house of the Fairy by air, but did not leave legs. So it was necessary to put a lot of sharpness.

Here it was helped by the knowledge gained at School of fairies. She drew a simple logical conclusion. If the mountain as it is told in "Reference book", - the highest, then it can be located only in the Rocky Mountains that on that side of the Sea. All other mountains of Tselestiya you will not call especially high - so, the dwelling for seagulls or swallows, no more. There was also one more hint: if the Tower on the mountain - gold, so and it is easy to notice it.

No sooner said than done. Having left children on Oslenk's care, all three went to a way.

It is a pity, of course, that Oslenk was not taken as he would be useful for execution of load, but he was more necessary to kids. Who else knows so many fairy tales and songs, except it? Not without reason Oslenok wrote down all that the Fairy sings - now this knowledge will be useful to him. And then, the load managed to be taken with itself and without its help. The fairy read a spell, and all necessary chests and bags went behind them following directly by air.

And Oslenok, to tell the truth, special and that was also not torn at way - he preferred to be a hero in imagination, behind the book, and preferred to endure dangerous adventures sitting at comfortably crackling fireplace, sipping hot chocolate.

On the contrary, the Kitten and the Puppy were just torn forward. They so could not wait to participate in the Present, surely Deadly, the Adventure which fell to their lot for the first time in 10 000 years of their plush life. Other such case can more and it will not be presented! After establishment of an era of the Order and Prosperity it became surprisingly boring to live in Tselestiya … Nothing is "more dangerous" than a round-up of everywhere shkodyashchy dwarfs Animals in the life did not see, and for elimination of Breaks because of the Limit the Fairy did not take them. And here - the Most Real Adventure! And besides, with their direct participation!

The fairy finally attended to send couple of familiar swallows to broadcast to other Keepers of the Limit news about the leaving, but where - did not tell. She, of course, did not experience illusions concerning concealment of the purpose and the direction of the campaign, but hoped that the later "above" learn about it, the better - the further they will manage to leave and stop them it will be more difficult. If to arrest the Fairy, will begin investigation - the Prince already, maybe, and will not be alive!

So they also went to a way …

2.

All road at heart at the Fairy it was disturbing, she sadly was silent. The kitten and the Puppy to distract it from evil thoughts, often sang different ridiculous songs and told its favourite jokes so even the Fairy sometimes could not resist laughter.

Spent the night in dense thickets or in caves, it is a lot of coming across on hilly river banks. On halts the Fairy lit magic fire which burned itself, without demanding firewood. The kitten and the Puppy, habitual as all Animals, to the nature, slept directly on the earth on the air-bed in an embrace with each other - so was more warmly, and more cheerfully. The fairy - directly in air. By means of magic she from the condensed air created a peculiar invisible, but soft pillow or a hammock.

Ate usually fruit and vegetables which grew at self-sowing much. However, the Fairy had very small stock of pink food, but it was used strictly economically, only to support necessary a participation minimum Sil Soobshchestva. The dried, small istolchenny pink concentrated powder was dissolved in water and saw small drinks. Of course, it could not satisfy appetites of the Kitten and Puppy. They so missed magic pink juice, but where here to get it … The hostess cannot appear on pink clouds in any way - there full of fairies who will begin to ask different "inconvenient" questions. So friends had to get used to a thin pink concentrate. There's nothing to be done, any Adventure demands the victims!

The fairy seldom stopped on halts. First, she seldom was tired, all representatives of its race unusually (to human measures) are hardy, thanks to the use of pink food, of course. Secondly, it had wings. When legs were tired, it flew low-level flight over the earth and during this time her legs managed to have a rest properly. But to the Kitten and the Puppy got in this campaign! They were exhausted so that during halts almost at once fell and fell asleep.

On the way friends diligently avoided crowded places, the cities and villages, went strictly the wood, and besides - on the fairies conducted only to paths. On the one hand, because of privacy. People, especially human women, such boltush! Pass they by them, right there rumors will spread everywhere that fairies go here near by where popadya, and it quickly would become known to ubiquitous "STING" and their campaign immediately would be stopped by the directive "from above".

But there was also other reason. Just to fairies did not stick to communicate with people - they have different ways in this world. Really, people for fairies are awful bores - only and say that about money yes about binge, fairies from such talk fall asleep. They like to sing, dance and tell fairy tales more (of course, in time, free from Service). These are their native elements. Perhaps for this reason a little now fairies marry people who a century from a century become more boring and more boring, especially during an era of the Order and Prosperity …

"Yes - and - and-and, - the Fairy sadly thought. - What happiness that my Prinze - not such! Probably, for this reason I also fell in love with it and for this reason I so lack it: all his disorder, recklessness and children's spontaneity! Where now among people of it you will find?"

The fairy for a long time reflected, and she remembered different episodes from history of their joint life.

So, once Prinze nearly rolled in a bog only to bring to the favourite Fairy the speaking eternally fresh flowers which loudly sing and always wish health, kind morning and good night to the owner. He learned about these flowers from all-knowing girlfriends mermaids, and also that they grew only on the Marsh Island. It reached the Island, got flowers, and on the way back nearly drowned. Slava Sozdatelyu, that then he was accompanied by the Puppy who lifted such howl that mermaids who everything together hardly pulled out Prinze from the bog to the aid came … And then it came indifferently home - dirty, smelly, in torn (the new, just sewed Fairy from solar fibers!) to clothes, half-dead, but with flowers in hands! The fairy as saw it in such look moreover and learned from the Puppy that Prinze nearly died, so at first just wanted to nadavat to it properly on a neck. But then suddenly burst out laughing and began to embrace him and to kiss and itself izvozitsya in marsh dirt so both of them had to go to bathe in a bath, and it was so cheerful and healthy!

And another time Prinze went to play at hide-and-seek with mermaids and so was fond that departured goodness knows where and did not find the road back. Sat three days on some island, starved as refused to catch fish. He and never killed anybody and felt sorry for all, for as got the nickname "Kind Prinze". And the Fairy was searched it. It was necessary to organize the whole rescue party from neighboring Keepers. Send Nasila. And Prinze indifferently lay to himself on a grass, gnawed the found self-seeding carrot and considered the clouds floating on the sky! The fairy thought then that she will whack it a stick now: she does not sleep three days, and he lies here and quietly gnaws carrots! But again instead she took it and kissed, and he said her in low tones: "And I knew that you will find me …"

But the biggest leprosy of Prinze (which he for some reason, to great disgust of the Fairy, called "feats") was when he ran away from the house for the whole month to go to Avalon to participate in knightly tournament. He wanted to win on is mute and to present to the Fairy the Ladylove's sign. Got into debts to dwarfs under guarantees of payments of percent (mad, by the way) from a pocket of the Fairy, bought an armor, a horse and let's measure swords at a stadium. Of course, when it faced rather serious opponent, the knight of Avalon, he right there took off from a saddle, lost all armor and a horse (which passed by the right of it to the winner), was left with nothing moreover got two changes. When the Fairy thanks to persistent creditors, dwarfs, found Prinze confined to the bed, thought that she will be enough a heart attack. The fairy paid all its debts, its visors home and within a week lifted up. Then told that if Prinze once again throws out such focus, she will put a magic castle, and he will sit here as a dog on a leash. But, of course, the Fairy of it did not make … She loved Prinze it what he is - the somewhat eccentric ninny and the careless idler, the eternal child than whom it almost on ten thousand years was more senior …

From these memoirs heart of the Fairy was filled with pleasant warmth, and she decided that as soon as finds Prinze - all will forgive it, if only it remained such as before, and at the same time remained forever her Prinze …

3.

Suddenly transparent forest air cut through a shrill sound. The fairy right there stopped, soaring in air on wings. Stopped, having guarded ears on the top, and Animals. And meanwhile the sound repeated the second, third, fourth time, and then began to repeat from all directions. The fairy defined its source at once - a hunting horn!

"Proklyatye! - thought, having splashed from disappointment handles, it. - As I wanted to keep incognito, there was on the deafest paths, and all in vain! Now there will be a crowd of human hunters! Not to be available them here!"

"Though, actually, - the Fairy right there stopped herself, - what here you will do? I am on the lands belonging to people. With the charter, as they say, to others kingdom do not climb!"

Reluctantly, the Fairy prepared for creation of the most powerful of invisibility spells known to it thus to avoid a meeting with hated to it hunters. Judging by a sound of horns which reached from all directions more and more loudly, they rush directly here.

Of course, all to one fairy hated when blood of living beings is shed. For this reason they exterminated in immemorial times practically of all large and dangerous predators and one and all monsters. But to forbid people hunt and eat meat they, of course, could not - it would be too. "Guardianship" is, first of all, ensuring the safest and safe existence of the human race, the most beloved of creations of the Creator. It included ensuring high productivity of crops, maintenance of favorable climate, suppression of wars and crime, diseases. Hunting, unfortunately, almost did not belong to it.

"Almost", however, it is told not incidentally. General Council of Fey at Hera Poryadca's dawn and Prosperity insisted on that people sharply limited volumes of hunting and the area of the territory where it is made. People were allowed to kill a game and to catch fishes in strictly limited quantity. People did not need such food, they just wanted to be tickled. And therefore fairies considered themselves to have the right to enter rigid quotas. Who it is malicious them exceeded - that was threatened by Flowers of Oblivion and compulsory re-education. To trace the volume of hunting or a catch to ubiquitous "STING" did not make big work. Besides, there was the whole system of reserves, wildlife areas, reservations where the guaranteed shelter was provided to animals.

And meanwhile the Fairy with Animals departed far away, in a thicket of dense fir-trees. There, in the shadow of the biggest, high and spreading tree, it a magic wand drew a circle which blue, visible only for the Fairy, the line, began to flicker on the earth. In it there were also our travelers, having right there disappeared for looks of usual mortal. In addition the Fairy sprinkled from a bubble with some green liquid. Air was filled with such aroma of needles that no dog will guess them. And in time! As horns and bark of hunting dogs were distributed already absolutely nearby.

Perhaps, thanks to smart sorcery of the Fairy, they also ran by and the meeting with hunters would manage to be avoided, but there was unforeseen …

On a small edge, steps in thirty from the fir grove which became shelter for friends that snow-white fallow deer with gold hooves jumped out! The fairy from surprise even closed handles from surprise the revealed mouth and her heart ached with pity to this beautiful animal, apparently, doomed to be torn to pieces by dogs!

But complaints you will not help a grief. The fairy began to cry, but resolved not to leave the shelter. Animals began to cry too, but to ask the Fairy to protect a fallow deer did not decide. And that as on trouble, anywhere was going to leave at all. Probably, the scent of a fallow deer which aggravated from danger prompted that only here she can receive the help, it was completely surrounded. The fallow deer got up as driven at the fir grove, and at the Fairy and Animals, with the eyes full got down, there were no forces even to try to banish her. Bark of dogs and a victorious sound of horns came nearer, and the fallow deer all stood and stood nearby, shy shifting from one foot to the other, and beggarly looked the scared mild eyes directly at the Fairy who, by the way, was is absolutely invisible to her eyes.

At last, on a lawn the first rack of dogs jumped out. It were large red noble hounds. The eyes burning with hunting passion, razzyavlenny mouths with snow-white teeth and long pink tongues from which saliva and foam fell on a grass, strong slender lean bodies, brawny paws with long claws, the thin tails which are lifted up up … Generally, the typical hunting rack demonstrating that their owner - the person of a noble origin, is wealthy also the big judge of hunting as not to find the best breed for this business. "It is a shame to me that I am a dog", - hardly suppressing sobbing in a breast, the Puppy thought, wiping the eyes tips of trailing plush ears.