Chapter 18

Mea-tael thoughtfully watched as the magician wrapped the package and put a seal on it.

"You shouldn't have let the prince's ear be cut off," he said with mock regret. - What a wonderful appendix to the message for the prince. Small, but capacious and meaningful.

“Mel, it’s been ridiculous for three days now,” Aaron said tiredly. “I understand that you don’t like purebred elves, I don’t like them either. But better do something useful - visit the Flock, or see how the Kiretian caravaners are doing.

"You're a bore," the half-elf muttered, but nevertheless, under Aaron's relieved sigh, he headed for the door. However, he turned around at the threshold. “Funny how the younger ar-Korm had the Dark Gift!” Have you already decided what to do with it?

“Mel, you have been pestering me for two hours with the same questions,” the magician could not stand it. - Get out!

Mea-tael recoiled with exaggerated fear, then clasped his hands at his chest in a gesture of respect accepted among the nomads, bowed low and exclaimed:

“Forgive your unworthy servant, O great lord!” Do not be angry, O great master! Then another low bow followed. “I humbly disappear, O formidable and terrible!” - after which, continuing to bow, he left.

He closed the door, winked at the werewolves from the guard standing nearby, one of whom sighed at his eccentricities, and the second shook his head. Unlike the human guards, the gray brothers were not afraid of the magician, let alone him.

I wanted to warm up, go on a night hunt with the Pack, or arrange a one-on-one training session with one of the werewolves. Only the pile of read reports in his office was much smaller than the second, with the reports still intact.

The sun had already crawled to its zenith when Mea-tael pushed another scroll aside, leaned back in his chair and stretched wearily. So, the riots in Radog continue - local leaders honestly work off the gold they received. Marble quarries on the outskirts of Kiret-grad flooded for the fifth time, the frustrated owner is looking for buyers - great! But, um, it's funny... Aaron did not mention anything like that when listing his plans.

So, the emperor's cousin secretly gathers allies to eliminate the monarch. Would it be more profitable to help with the coup and then demand a share, or to extradite the conspirator, again receiving something from a grateful emperor in return? Interesting paper, it is worth taking it to the magician.

Aron's behavior in the last days of Mea-tael was intriguing and, perhaps, pleased. After his incomprehensible experiment - Aron only frowned and changed the subject to all questions about him - the magician changed a lot. Moreover, it seemed to the half-elf that not only the loss of memory was the cause of this change. Aaron behaved more and more not as a sorcerer, whom Mea-tael knew and served in recent years, but as a friend of his youth. Aron Tongil fifteen years ago Mea-tael liked much more. The half-elf wouldn't mind knowing the name of the magical experiment that produced such unexpected and pleasant results.

There was a knock on the door, and as soon as he received permission to enter, Mea-tael's personal servant slipped inside.

“Tar Mithril, sorry to disturb you, but you have ordered me to report on everything related to Timal Dare Ores.

Did something happen to him again? the half-elf asked angrily.

“He is seriously injured, my tar.

"Damn boy!" Mea-tael hastily got up. - Let's go! On the way you will tell how it happened.

***

How this happened, Ryan himself did not really understand.

He disliked the noble Timal from their first meeting in the castle, and this feeling was clear, perfectly explainable and absolutely mutual. And when the well-wishers explained with whom the young elf spends the night, disgust was added to the hostility and, at the same time, fear, already for himself.

Rien had met pureblood elves before. The younger al-Korm knew perfectly well that the sharp-eared people considered people a little higher than animals. But only ordinary people. Elves feared, hated and respected human magicians, that is, they treated them as equals.

So the gods had decreed that all the sharp-eared wielded magic, only their level of Strength was very, very weak compared to that which was given to a few lucky people. Although no, recently Rien has ceased to perceive the magical Gift as good luck. Once, like all boys, he wanted to become a magician, but the Light magician, the opposite option did not even occur to him. And so…

It's been three days since the meeting with Rosana. Although the little sister, as Rien understood from Tar Mithril's inquiries, managed to arouse suspicion, she managed to escape safely.

Either the half-elf believed the young man's assurances that no guests came to him, or he postponed the real interrogation, but he did not summon Rien to himself anymore. However, the next day he informed him: for reasons not related to Riena, Timal Dare-Ores is now under house arrest, and the younger al-Korm should ensure that this same Timal receives everything he needs. Perhaps, only the order to constantly be with Tongil himself could “please” Rien more. By this order, Mithril reduced the heir to the count to the position of an ordinary servant.

When today, barely holding a tray in his hands, Rien approached the elf's room, the guard, who had already become familiar over these two days, nodded to him and flung open the door, letting him inside.

Pointy-Eared showed up in the same place as always - sitting in an armchair, buried in some book. Riena reacted as usual to the appearance of Riena: he glanced briefly, twisted his lips contemptuously and pointed with his finger, pointing at the table. Like, put it there and get out. Typical behavior of a pureblood high-born elf: I, then, are the salt of the earth and the light of the sun, and you, miserable people, are dirt at my feet.

Rien seemed already used to it and even stopped paying attention to it, but today the mood from the very morning was too lousy. At the gesture of the elf, the younger ar-Korm twisted his lips in the same contemptuous way and almost threw the tray on the table. Dishes clanged indignantly.

The elf jerked his head up sharply, and for a few seconds they looked at each other with angry looks. Then Timal chuckled.

“You envy those who are better than you, you bastard?

From a rude insult, blood rushed to Rien's head, but the young man restrained himself.

- You? Better? Perhaps the fact that the last months did not get out of Tongil's bed? And how, did you please the mage magician well?

This time, the elf blushed in anger.

“At least my parents didn’t pay me off!” And yours were glad to get rid of you! Thrown out of the family and forgot that you even exist! Vyshkvy…

He did not finish, because this time Rien could not stand it and without a swing, sharply, as his older brother had taught, threw the first object at Timal that came to hand. And I got a heavy crystal glass.

The elf almost managed to dodge the projectile. Almost, as the glass hit the corner of the fireplace above his head and shattered into pieces, staining Timal's forehead with blood.

Rien did not have time to regret or at least sensibly think over a successful hit, because the elf with a furious hiss worthy of a steppe cat ran into him. Not empty-handed, Timal grabbed a carving knife from the tray.

The boys rolled on the floor. Rien, unarmed, grabbed the elf's wrists, preventing him from bringing the point closer. Timal twitched furiously and...

Ryan didn't understand how it happened. Perhaps the old skill that had been assiduously hammered into him at home during training worked, or something else had an effect ... But a few moments later, the knife was in the hand of the younger ar-Korm and ripped open the elf's stomach.