Unconquered Sun (66 page)

1.

The fairy regained consciousness from oblivion on the same bed, in the same rooms, as five days ago, after wonderful rescue from paws Murin. But this time she quickly enough, practically at once, remembered all event yesterday and was much struck. First, why it in a bed, but not, at best, in the refectory which plunged into a gloom, and in the worst, in prison in shackles or in gold chains at the magic transformer. And secondly, where the Invincible Sun which usually found itself at once after awakening of the Fairy, at least, so was gone there were all last three mornings.

The fairy without hurrying got up and gasped with surprise:
magic mirrors went out!
The room covered on all perimeter with magic mirrors became absolutely another - mirrors did not work - lit nothing and reflected nothing. Moreover, all still closed secret doors stood wide open opened so now it was possible to leave absolutely freely the room, without waiting for permission of the Invincible Sun!

The fairy rushed to a window and saw that trees gold once in a garden also faded, the gold foliage from them fell down, and gold parrots, monkeys and canaries lay under trees not movably, like mechanical toys at which the plant came to an end.

The Fairy did not manage to comprehend properly the events as to her to the room happy Animals became hollow. They were extremely excited, their eyes burned with bright joyful fire:

- The hostess, the hostess, something happened … something happened … all mirrors went out … all doors are open … There is no sorcerer anywhere … Parrots died … Golems are motionless … Ur - r - r - r - and! - at last, proorat both. - We won! - Also broke into a dance directly at a bed of the Fairy.

- And where Prinze? - with alarm the Fairy asked, squeezing handles the lock on a breast - in her breast all grew cold: and suddenly together with magic of the Invincible Sun also Prinze will die. Making the impudent attack against the Invincible Sun, she even did not think of it! - What with Prinze? Speak!

Animals right there stopped dancing and too viewed with great concern the Fairy.

- We do not know … We … we did not see it anywhere anywhere, the hostess, … - they rolled up the ridiculous plush heads very anywhere.

- And how I appeared here, on a bed? - with a bigger alarm the Fairy asked.

- I do not know, - the Puppy answered. - We with the Kitten regained consciousness recently under a table where we hid from it howling, then were run on the central halls, went outside, and then - at once to you.

- It is clear, - the Fairy gloomy told, - more precisely, nothing is clear … Well, Animals, an idemta to look for Prinze and the Invincible Sun - what else we need to do?

- In a flash, hostess! - the Kitten picked up. - Let the sensitive scent of the Puppy will bring us to Prinze!

- A-av! My nose never before brought me! - with pride the Puppy told and began to sniff efficiently at the room in search of Prinze's smell. And the result long did not keep itself waiting.

Prinze's search did not take a lot of time friends. The puppy quickly picked up a trail, and the Fairy with the Kitten needed only to follow their plush guide. The trace conducted through all central halls directly down, to the Malachite room. On the way the Fairy everywhere saw the same picture - extinct faded nothing the reflecting mirrors (as old, any more not brilliant, gold), the twilight, death silence. The gold golems who until recently were scurrying about here and there with various objects and instructions stood as motionless statues. Jewels did not sparkle, deprived of a light source. Animation pictures - are not mobile. Mosaics, stained-glass windows and gobelins also faded and somehow at once grew old. In general, the Gold Hall as if was left by some invisible stream of life feeding it. So happens when the soul leaves a body. The body still keeps heat remains, did not begin to decay and stink yet, having kept familiar lines, but in them there is no life any more, something invisible left it. It was boring, uncomfortable to go on such hall and it is a little bit horrible. He more began to remind a haunted house, a crypt, the mausoleum, but not the royal palace.

The puppy reached the Emerald Hall, then they passed to the Ladder conducting on underground floors, then went down on 20 tiers, then passed on desert workshops (even ubiquitous dwarfs were hidden somewhere!) and eventually reached the small green door conducting to the malachite room - a favourite residence of Prinze. The door was, as well as all other once unapproachable doors of the Hall, is not locked.

When the Fairy crossed a room threshold, she gasped with surprise. At a round malachite table - such acquaintance Kotenku! - Prinze sat. However, to tell that he sat, so to tell nothing. He really sat on a chair, but all over leaned the elbows on a table surface as the sleeping pupil at a boring lesson, having put the head on hands. The gold mask rolled on a floor. It was unclear, Prinze is living in general or he just sleeps.

The fairy expert in iatrotechnics, hardly constraining nervousness and alarm, approached Prinze and felt pulse on his neck. Having felt, she with relief sighed. Pulse was, though very weak. And body temperature sharply fell - now the touch to Prinze's skin did not burn any more.

"Slava Sozdatelyu! - the Fairy thought. - The prince cools down - means, there is a hope".

- Hey, Animals, help me to lift Prinze - he is such heavy! - and to put it on a table. I need to examine it! - the Fairy told.

Animals took Prinze by arms and by means of the Fairy put him on a table surface as they put the patient on the operating table. His body was become soft and weak-willed, as at the person in a condition of a deep sleep or in a coma.

However, having turned by means of Prinze's Animals the person up, the Fairy gasped with horror and closed hands eyes. The face of the Prince was in a deathlike way pale, even some grayish, almost like at the dead man. Lips are covered by easy blue as if from cold, and under eyes deep, almost black shadows seemed. Hands were cold, almost ice, also deathly-white color.

The fairy slightly opened an eyelid and carried out by a candle candle end near an eye - eyes did not react to light. The prince was in a deep coma.

The fairy did not know at all what to do. At total absence on a body of any damages or temperatures, Prinze almost did not give life signs.

And here nerves of the Fairy did not sustain. She sat down on a chair and began to cry. She for the first time did not know what to do how to rescue Prinze!

- The hostess, do not cry, the Beautiful Fairy, do not cry, - the Kitten - the most bright of Animals pulled her at a shoulder a fluffy plush pad. - I, apparently, know that to do - it is necessary to find the Invincible Sun! Perhaps she knows how to recover Prinze!

- And where I will find it, tell on favor? - weepingly the Fairy spoke.

- We with the Puppy will be run on all rooms and halls, - and we will find it an instant! - With these words Animals, without thinking twice, right there were behind a door.

2.

This time search dragged on. Animals were not kind a couple of hours.

During this time the Fairy made not one attempt to put on Prinze's legs, but all of them ended with failure. First, the Fairy simply with herself had nothing - the Magic book, "The reference book of Fairies", either magic objects, or a magic wand. The fairy could get by means of the Analyzer into Prinze's consciousness and try to find out from within etiologies, but the Analyzer completely disappeared after attack Murin, and without it she was absolutely unarmed. Well here you will do!? What is not present - there is no that!

Attempt to beat him with an electroshock or heatstrokes did not lead to anything. His body twitched as a rag doll, but heart is more often did not begin to fight.

The first the Puppy came running.

- The hostess, and-av, I found her, I found! - gave a yelp, panting, the Puppy, as well as all dogs after long jog having pulled out almost at all length pink wet language.

- Where?

- In Library, there are a lot of books, even the ceiling is not visible. I saw. In one place one book was groundless also by itself was leafed through! I saw. At first I thought that I for a miracle, and guessed then - it She thumbs through it! We run rather until it left from there! A-av! - And with these words so the out of breath Puppy ran upward, and after him - the Fairy.

Having come running in Library, the Fairy really saw a strange picture. The big thick book in leather cover, pages so under one thousand, was groundless in the middle of the hall and by itself was slowly thumbed through. The Fairy never before did not see before it!

The Fairy could not say some time a sound. But the Voice was ahead of her:

- I see, with you everything is all right, expensive. It is pleasant to see that you did not suffer.

- Yes, your Perfection, me …

- Do not call me so more, stop! - sharply tore off its Voice. - You not worse me know that any I not perfection!

- As you will order, Madam, - shy uttered indistinctly the Fairy.

- The consciousness of reasonable beings is surprisingly arranged, you do not find, expensive? - spoke already more quietly the Voice. - It can think in the millennia of one and not think of another, and then suddenly at once everything changes and we are not interested in the first any more …

- And what interests you, Madam? What do you read? - used an occasion to ask the question Fairy.

- The detailed chronicle of history of the Island of Fey, volume No. 850, it just describes events of the period of my childhood. I look for and I cannot find a name of my mother in any way … And she was a fairy of the 3rd rank - mentions of it surely have to be somewhere here! But I cannot find them, I cannot! And without having found out her name, I will not be able to learn whether she is living still …

From surprise went hot the Fairy. She for the first time was personally convinced of effectiveness of the plan. The chance to win against the Invincible Sun through return of the past forgotten by it to it was one on one thousand, and it worked (the truth, only thanks to the Truth Mirror which incidentally got to its handles …)! Yes only the result was not absolutely what she expected …

- I will dare to disturb you, Madam, - again shy inserted the Fairy, getting up on tiptoe to see by the itself book flying somewhere under a ceiling and thumbing through. - We can go together a little later to Fey's Island, and I am sure that the Triune Knowledge will open for you a name of your mother - from it nothing is hidden …

In ears disgustingly zabrenchat a metal hand bell.

- The darling, what you speak about? On Fey's Island I am expected not by the mother, and instant dispersion on atoms, and maybe on quarks. - And metal hand bells rang out even more loudly. - I am put on the international wanted list, many long ago thousands years ago, the darling! Back I do not have the road any more …

- Is, Madam, is! I will go to the Island tomorrow, I will fall on knees before their Knowledge and I will beg them to forgive you, you confessed and completely improved! I will beg her! I will tell that you - good, you - kind, you are the best fairy on light, you … - the Fairy did not know any more how it is still positive to characterize the recent competitor.

The awkward pause hung. Even the book, groundless under a ceiling of library, ceased to be thumbed through.

Then the silence was broken by the squeezed low voice.

- You … you … it is valid … to a .n, is valid … you consider that … that … And it after all that I to you made?

- Yes, you - kind, good, you are the most beautiful fairy on light! - the Fairy as if being afraid that she will be interrupted just about began to chatter suddenly or will catch in a lie, and words from her lips poured down in abundance. - You could me and one thousand times to burn my Prinze fire, but did not touch us, you rescued me from blood-thirsty Murin, you sheltered at home and conducted with me such kind conversations, you … - very good, kind, you are the real,
my one and only
girlfriend with whom it was so good to me to communicate the truth! Most of fairies are not even capable of such friendship as you, the truth!

But the Voice, contrary to its expectations, did not interrupt it. It seemed, the Invisible Interlocutor caught each her word, and, maybe, waited?

- I admit that you too … were pleasant to me, the Fairy, - slowly and thoughtfully spoke the Voice. - You returned me memoirs, such memoirs, expensive, most expensive on light, you and … your Animals - they in exactly as mine … once … The fact that stole from me a solar stream then … at top of the Gold Mountain … You … returned … You think, I have still a chance? To return … well … on the Island of fairies … to return … a body?

- Well, of course! I am sure of it! I will agree about everything, we will surely find a way to return you a body! You will return, we will be friends, you will live with us, on a lawn, in my lodge, with Prinze! - again the Fairy began to chatter, as if in prayful gesture having linked handles on a breast, as if speaking to these is if only this miracle did not stop, if only the Invincible Sun never again became former!

- Ah, with Prinze?!

- Yes, with Prinze, he so loves your society! He so appreciates your friendship! Truth!

- Yes - and - and-and, Prinze … - gloomy said the Voice. - Here I can hardly encourage you, the darling … The prince will hardly survive and if remains - that will never leave a coma any more …