Бесплатный фрагмент - Alice from Wonderland

DENIS LEE MEYER
ALICE FROM WONDERLAND
volume one
MAGIC FLOWER OF ARDAMIR

based on true events

Chapter #1 «Thirteen years ago»

The night was surprisingly quiet. The low, sagging houses stood in a row and watched the serenity stroll through the rural streets. And only a dull, long knock on the door threatened to frighten off this sleepy bliss.

At one of the rickety houses stood a tall man, covered from head to toe in an enormous gray cloak. Despite the heat and stuffiness (it was going to a thunderstorm), he was shaking. The house in the courtyard of which he was located did not stand out from the others, except for the ridiculous wooden frames at the windows, which looked like a crescent. The stranger continued to disturb the night peace, which is why fires gradually began to light up in the neighboring huts.

— Why, she failed there, or what?

After some time, a crack was heard in the window overlooking the porch — a fat black cat soared onto the windowsill from the darkness of the house. Its sleek fur glittered in the moonlight, and its eyes glowed unnaturally in the night. He stared at his guest with animal curiosity. And suddenly a strange thing happened: the cat spoke.

— Prodmir? Well well. What brings you to this late hour?

The man, whose name was Prodmir, was clearly not surprised at the talking cat and only defiantly twisted a contemptuous smile:

«Are you still serving her, Vasilus?» I thought you were never impressed with the brownie job.

— Apparently, you and I have different views on what it means to serve, — the cat grumbled quietly, scattering the accumulated dust on the window with its tail. — So what brought you here, Prodmir Gromov?

— I want to talk to your mistress, Vasilus!

— Now? — the cat stared at the visitor in surprise. — In my opinion, there is a much more suitable time for such visits.

Prodmir felt the rage rise in him:

— If I need to talk to someone, I will not choose the time and place. I need to see Mariharme. Now!

— And what is the topic of the conversation?

— This does not concern you! I will carry him with her only face to face.

— In this house there are much more of them than you can imagine, Prodmir, — said the cat calmly. It was evident that he really liked to admire his tail, which was playfully tossed from side to side. «As for my mistress, she seems to have clearly expressed her unwillingness to see your person in her house.

Prodmir fiercely hit the door with his fist:

— I don’t care! Open it up, flea creature, otherwise I’ll open it myself!

«Well, in that case, you run the risk of meeting worthy resistance. Although, of course, I would not do it, out of respect for your mother.

The cat gazed dreamily at the cobwebs, silvery in the stars of the night, sandwiched among the window frames.

Prodmir was burning with rage: no one dares to threaten him! Nobody! Moreover, some cat. His face reflected madness — just about he will deal with the impudent animal. Moreover, for this he will not need serious efforts.

— Are you threatening me, Vasilus? Dare you challenge me?

— I know very well about your abilities, Prodmir, — the cat said calmly. He seemed completely uninterested in the conversation with the guest. The silvery web was so charming and attractive that for a moment he involuntarily succumbed to his feline instincts. — Exactly also, as I know about many of your crimes committed in Ishgud and beyond. But you are wrong: the inhabitants of the Shining will never accept your dominance, and the murders will only make matters worse!

Prodmir looked as if someone had hit him on the head.

— You decided to teach me, flea bastard? he whispered, feeling his speechlessness return. — Or maybe you haven’t realized who is standing in front of you yet?

The man in the raincoat stopped abruptly and looked around, studying the figures appearing one after another in the windows of neighboring houses.

— Who is in front of me? — snorted Vasilus, stretching his back in an arc. — In front of me is the same boy! Capricious and stupid!

The cat sighed unnaturally for an animal, and his silhouette instantly disappeared, as if it had never existed. There was a click in the door and it swung open.

Prodmir, without delay, entered the house. Right from the doorway, he smelled the aroma of homemade pies and something else, incomprehensible, but painfully familiar. The house was spacious and comfortable. On the wall a huge clock was swinging with a pendulum, «singing along» to the smoldering torches in the furnace furnace.

He stood in the hallway, as if he was afraid to go further. It wasn’t long before he heard a displeased, sleepy voice behind him:

— What have you forgotten in my house?

Prodmir turned around — a gray-haired elderly lady, who hastily threw on a silver robe, was looking at him. Despite her venerable age, she looked very impressive: powerful, speaking of the incredible strength stored in her aging body. A black cat was sitting on the floor next to her, diligently licking its tail.

— It’s not so easy to get to you, Mariharme, — Prodmir grinned. — Or how are you called here? Evdokia, it seems? — he laughed loudly, madness flashed in his eyes. — Still groveling among simple worthless people? What a baseness for the Keeper of the Great Ones!

Prodmir pointedly spat at the elderly woman’s feet. However, she did not pay the slightest attention to this gesture.

— You didn’t answer. Why did you come here?

— I wanted to talk. You know, I repented! What happened to Esiriya — I didn’t want it. I didn’t think it would come out that way. You know that I loved her and still cannot live without her. I need her, especially now that my son was born.

Prodmir spoke coldly and calculatingly, not taking his haughty gaze from the old woman. Not a single particle of emotion slipped through his stately, commanding voice. But Evdokia remained calm, making the man worry.

— Why do I need your remorse? — she looked at him in surprise. — Believe me, they mean nothing to me. You made your choice. That very evening when he decided to go for the murder. You weren’t even stopped by what she wore under the heart of your heir. That’s really really: an apple tree from an apple tree — like your scoundrel father! Power and nothing but power! Oh yes, he could be proud of you now. But I have no desire to listen to your skillfully invented stories, Prodmir. Why do you want to return the child?

The man in the hood and cloak hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words.

— He… You know he’s my son.

— Son? — Evdokia chuckled. — Why did you decide that it was a boy?

— Of course it’s a boy! — exclaimed Prodmir. — I personally created the Curse of Displacement — yes, exactly the one about which you talked so much that it is impossible to create it. But I did it! I created it! The man’s eyes flashed gleefully. — Now no one — you hear, no one can reproach me for leaving my child with nothing! Unlike some, I gave my son a part of myself, a part of my power. He is the rightful heir to my power!

— Or the heiress, — Evdokia casually threw. — How dare you talk about your rights to power? You don’t have them and you never had them.

— My father…

«Your father could not even predict his own demise.

— I see your lies, old woman! — Prodmir’s anger burst out again. «You know perfectly well what this boy means to me. I will not regret even those people who live next door to you. I will kill until you give me my son. Where is he? Which room do you hide him in?

«All the answers should be sought in our own short-sightedness,» Evdokia said quietly, observing with curiosity how quickly the mood of the intruder changed.

«Your words mean nothing, old witch! — Prodmir bared his teeth wildly. — Nothing! Now I — and only I — am the rightful owner of the Title!

— It still needs to be earned, — answered the hostess of the house. «None of ours will lay his head before you. Life does not recognize weakness — remember this, Gromov! She paused for a while, then added: «Well, if that’s all you wanted to tell me, I think we have nothing else to talk about.

Prodmir looked at the old woman defiantly:

— I need a son! Give it back — I guarantee you life.

Evdokia seemed to ignore the threat and only smiled good-naturedly in response. He jumped back, frightened, as if he saw something terrible.

«Your child is safe,» she said. — The time will come, and he will decide his own, and at the same time your fate. I won’t give it to you if that’s what you wanted me to say. You could hardly have hoped that I would return the baby, knowing how you dealt with his mother.

Prodmir said nothing and, after a moment of confusion, violently stomped back to the front door. As soon as he touched the doorknob, he stopped — his lips, unexpectedly for himself, whispered:

— I wanted to ask you for a long time.

Prodmir still stood with his back to Evdokia. His voice was now quiet, surprisingly peaceful and calm:

— I really regretted what happened. You can see that I’ve gone crazy looking for a cure for the pain that is killing me every second. I have traveled thousands of roads, killing others to comfort my suffering. But the pain is stronger. With every moment she exudes her poison into my soul, and I do not know how long I can hold back the inevitable. I’m tired. Tell me, please, tell me, Mariharme, is there any forgiveness in your heart?

The old woman, all this time looking at the broad back of the guest, swayed frighteningly.

«Repentance is just the first step to knowing the truth,» she said in a trembling voice. — When we make a choice of our path, the Great Magic is performed, which is not subject to any of us. Once you made your choice, Prodmir. And you yourself should seek the pearls of truth in the ocean of your eclipse.

— Again, just words! — Prodmir’s voice in an instant became mad again. Just about, and the man will rush to the elderly woman. But he hesitated, then took hold of the door handle and disappeared into the gloom of the country night.

«He’s gone, mistress,» reported the cat, already sitting on the windowsill and watching the figure of the intruder disappear behind the gate. At the same instant, a strong crash was heard in the hallway: an elderly woman fell to her knees in tears. She had never been in such pain in her life.

Over the next thirteen years, no one else met Prodmir Gromov here — life in the village went on as usual.

Chapter #2 «Free riders»

— I hate!

An empty cola can soared into the air with a crash and again collapsed at the feet of the upset girl. Alice silently walked through the park, going over in her head reasonable explanations for what was happening. Even the fact of the beginning of summer vacation and the beautiful sunny weather could hardly distract her from painful thoughts.

Now she was completely different from an ordinary thirteen-year-old schoolgirl: her sprawling, dark blond hair that barely touched her shoulders was strangely intertwined in the wind, her cute upturned nose resembled a huge plum, and drops of water dripped from a nondescript jumper and jeans. The briefcase, casually thrown over his shoulder, slid down and showed passers-by the soaked notebooks and textbooks. Say what you like, but the joke of classmates was a success. And who of those around would not be amused by the idiot Gromov, zigzagging away from the water «bombs» flying at her?!

But this was not what worried Alice most of all now — something, but she had long been accustomed to such treatment. Ever since the first grade, she had a reputation as an eccentric, with which some strange and mysterious things happened all the time. Perhaps this is why she had no real friends at school. Even first-graders tried to avoid communication with her, fearing that she could attract trouble to herself.

Alice herself caught herself thinking that all the oddities that happen to her do not just happen. Take, for example, her clumsiness, from birth giving her a lot of problems, and others — a reason for a joke.

Oh, how she wanted to become a simple, unremarkable girl for at least one day! This made my soul heavy and painful. Today, however, she seems to have surpassed herself in terms of oddity.

The last day of the school year began with the announcement of the exam results, in which Alisa Gromova was the only one who was able to score high points. Of course, the rest of the kids in the class didn’t like it at all. And they did not miss the opportunity to make fun of her, calling her a nerd and an upstart. But that was not so bad.

When, between lessons, Alice hurried to the school library, trying to disappear from the eyes of her classmates at the same time, she almost stumbled over a well-fed black cat. He rushed through the corridor crowded with students towards the director’s office. Noticing the girl, he looked around for a split second, and then rushed even faster towards his goal. Forgetting about everything in the world, Alice hurried after the strange animal.

Where did the cat come from? «Probably brought the baby,» she decided firmly. What happens if teachers notice him? Oh, and someone will get it!

Meanwhile, the cat passed the teacher’s room and was already approaching the director’s office. Despite his small stature, the locked door surrendered to him with surprising ease. The girl felt as if she had opened herself open in front of the animal. Without a moment’s hesitation, the beast instantly slipped inside.

Somewhere nearby, a deafening mechanical ringing was heard — a signal for a lesson. The childish rumble in the corridor died down. But it was not important for Alice to be late for class now, especially when she was literally two steps away from revealing the secret. She cautiously approached the headmaster’s office, and was about to touch the doorknob when it painfully burned her palm.

Acrid smoke poured out from behind all the cracks in the office, the door flew open, and flames burst into the hall. Alice screamed and jumped to the side, barely hearing the worried exclamations of the teachers. At the same moment, the overweight figure of the director, an elderly gray-haired man in a summer jacket and pince-nez on his nose, fell out of the burning room. He was suffocating from the acrid smoke, the edges of his clothes smoldered in fiery ulcers, and his face expressed genuine horror.

Having got out of the burning room, he coughed and threw a frightened glance at Alice, as if he wanted to tell her something, but immediately fell exhausted on the tiled floor. The girl hurried to his aid, but at the same moment someone pulled her back.

— What are you doing, Gromova? Well, get away from the director immediately! Don’t touch him, wretch!

The shouts of the teachers echoed throughout the school. Alice could hardly make out what was happening around. She was so frightened and at the same time surprised that she stood motionless among the bunch of teachers scurrying around the headmaster and turned her gaze first at the victim, then at his burning office.

— Call the fire department, somebody! Evacuate the kids from school!

The teachers carefully circled around their boss, and he soon regained consciousness.

At the same instant, the fire in the office disappeared, as if someone had canceled it with a switch. Surprisingly, none of the furniture inside was even damaged.

— How do you feel, Vasily Ivanovich? Who did it?

But the director probably breathed very much smoke and soot, so he could only utter two barely distinguishable words: «Alice» and «Gromova».

One of the teachers standing next to her abruptly grabbed the girl’s hand, as if she was trying to escape from her:

— Did you do that, you scoundrel? Confess!

— No, it’s not me, honestly, — Alice stammered. — I was just walking by, and then a cat appeared…

«What nonsense, my dear! I could have thought of something more believable! What have you forgotten here at all?

— No, I just walked by, and here the cat…

The math teacher chuckled loudly and turned to her colleague.

«It looks like it’s time to deprive the old woman of her guardianship. She does not follow the girl at all. It would be better not to take her out of the orphanage — we have enough garbage without her.

The teacher pointedly lifted her nose and walked away.

Alice didn’t know what to do in such a situation. She understood that her affairs were bad. But what could be worse than the contempt and cruelty that she was promised to meet a little later?

The news quickly spread throughout the school. For the most notorious, this was another reason to make fun of the girl. And their jokes were far from harmless.

…The noise of the motorway made Alice escape from her sad thoughts. The park through which she walked had long since ended, giving way to cityscapes.

Aleksinsk was one of the few provincial towns in which the features of modernity were already felt. And yet it was a place in which life, despite the appearance of all kinds of billboards, video monitors and neon scattering, had not yet been ruined by the influence of the metropolis.

A small rickety metal box at the bus stop, not far from the park, was already filled with dozens of nervous people waiting for transport. The May sun mercilessly watered passers-by with sweat — after dinner, the June heat was in earnest. Eh, now would be cold kvaska or ice cream…

Alice was in a hurry to get lost in the crowd — even though here she was unlikely to receive mocking glances. To be honest, it was not easy to remain invisible here. Take, for example, that fat bald peasant who was standing at the edge of the bus stop. He gazed thoughtfully at the passing cars, from time to time brushing off the sweat that appeared on his bald head. His checkered shirt was slightly crumpled, from under it, having overcome a couple of buttons in an unequal battle, a huge, simply gigantic belly peeped out.

— Son!

A creaking voice was heard somewhere nearby. The man turned reluctantly: two old women were staring at him, giggling and smiling all over their faces. One of them winked slyly and pointed at the belly protruding from his shirt.

— Who are we waiting for, son?

«Bus,» the man muttered reluctantly, not taking his eyes off the minibuses passing by.

— Bus? The old woman repeated in amazement, appraisingly examining his protruding belly. «Well, then that explains everything.

The old ladies giggled again. At that moment, the outlines of a battered «PAZik» appeared on the horizon, which, groaning and swaying, slowly rolled to the stop. The doors flew open, and the fat man hurried to enter the salon, closer to the empty rear seats. Alice also went inside, sitting on the window seat.

In the bus something grunted, rattled, and he slowly moved on. At the next stops there were so many passengers that many were already standing in the aisles, swinging on the handrails, as if on vines. Alice was so deep in her thoughts that she almost jumped out at the nearest stop, thinking that, as usual, she had taken the wrong bus.

This happened to her often. Absent-mindedly, she could go completely to the other side of the house. At such moments, she gave herself up to innermost thoughts that took her to a distant fantasy land, where magic fairies, dragons, courageous princes lived, and she herself was the queen of this amazing country. Of course, she did not tell anyone about this, not even her grandmother — the only person in the whole world whom she simply adored.

This time Alice was dreaming again, almost running out of the bus ahead of time. Perhaps by doing this, she fenced herself off from subsequent troubles, but dragging herself through the fierce heat outside the city limits for a dozen stops is an unbearable occupation. And then there are clouds, as if it were evil — it could only be raining. So what, get wet a second time in a day? Well, I do not!

— Young man! Young man, in fact I am addressing you!

Alice instantly came to her senses and turned around: opposite the Fat Man sitting in the back seat stood an equally plump woman — the conductor.

— So you will pay for the fare or not? — she was indignant.

— I tell you again that my friend will pay for me. He will sit down any minute.

— Do you take me for a fool? — the controller’s voice rumbled to the whole salon. — Pay your fare or I’ll drop you off!

— And here is my friend, — said the Fat Man, noticing a tall man in a strange cloak standing at the side of the road.

— Actually, we don’t stop here! — the conductor smiled maliciously, anticipating the reprisal against the stowaway.

«And he doesn’t need it,» Fat Man chuckled mysteriously.

Alice suddenly realized that in an instant something around her had changed: a chilling cold washed over the girl and some very strange, inexplicable feeling of danger crept into her soul. She cried out in horror: all the passengers froze in place, and the bus itself did not move any more. A frightening silence reigned in the cabin. It seemed that the whole world stopped overnight — outside the window all the passers-by froze in intricate poses, and even the drops of the rain that had begun stopped halfway to the ground.

Laughter was heard from behind. Hasn’t someone else besides Alice turned into something like a wax figure?

And indeed, the Fat Man, laughing loudly, quickly hid some sort of thing that looked like a slingshot behind his belt, threw the frozen figure of the conductor away from him and walked merrily to the bus door, not paying attention to the frightened girl. Soon the door flew open, and a man entered the salon, obviously not dressed for the weather.

— I found her, Sulmedir! Exactly as he described it to us! — Savoring every word, said the Fat Man, greeting his friend. Sulmedir, on the other hand, remained indifferent to the greetings and only stared at the frightened schoolgirl.

— So you are Simila? Prodmir’s daughter?

He laughed as he looked at Alice’s tousled hair, which made her uneasy. She managed to slide off the seat and grab her wet briefcase. But taking a step back, she stumbled upon the frozen figure of one of the passengers and froze in place in fright.

— Where are you, dear? — the Fat man laughed. — Your daddy has just searched you! And you, you see, ride the buses!

«I don’t know what you mean,» Alice squeaked, continuing to back away to the end of the cabin. — My name is Alice, and I have no father.

— Yah? Then it changes things! — the two laughed even more.

They grabbed the girl with force and dragged her through the petrified people — to the exit.

— No! No! No! Let go! I’m Alice! I’m Alisa Gromova! You are welcome!

She tried to escape, or at least hit the kidnappers with the heel of a sneaker, but nothing came of it. When Sulmedir and Fat Man pulled her out of the bus, Alice met face to face with the headmaster of her school, who was apparently crossing the road at that moment. He looked very shabby, his figure froze as he walked.

— What are we going to do, Sulmedir? — asked the Fat Man.

— Let’s send her to papa, what else!

Sulmedir laughed maliciously and took from the pocket of his cloak, polished to a shine, the most ordinary stone the size of a matchbox. He tossed it, but instead of falling to the ground, the stone hovered in the air, and eyes and a tiny mouth appeared on it.

— What the heck? Where I am? — said the stone.

— Shut up, you idiot! We need to get to Ishgud. And just try to argue with us!

— I feel great magic around! the stone creaked in a trembling voice. — Why do you need my services, young people?

— If you do not want to be ground into powder, do as you are told! — Fat Man growled.

The stone sighed heavily and immediately lit up with a blinding light. This glow began to quickly outline a huge luminous door in the air, behind which one could clearly see the walls and bookshelves. Alice screamed, backed away, and inadvertently touched the frozen figure of her school principal with her hand. She, without hesitation, fell to the ground and split into several parts. The girl screamed again in horror.

At the same instant, it seemed to her that the familiar black tail flashed around the corner of the beer stall. A bright flash flashed, and the two villains instantly found themselves on the asphalt. They were unconscious.

Chapter #3 «Boulevard of Youth»

Alice froze in place — no, not from magic, more from fear. She silently looked at the would-be kidnappers who had been knocked down, looking at the split body of the school director, then at the stopped world around.

What should she do? Where to run? What if it’s just a dream? No, it can’t be true. Looks like she dozed off again by the window.

Alice with difficulty tried to pinch her hand, but immediately cried out in pain.

The luminous door in the air instantly disappeared, and now, not far from the two unconscious adults, a tiny stone was looking at Gromova.

«Sorry to bother you, young lady,» he hissed. — Let me give you some advice.

— Y-d-yes, — Alice managed hesitantly. This behavior could be understood: all her adult life she dreamed of being the most ordinary, unremarkable girl. But how, pray tell, to become one, if right now some stone is considering you, talking to you and giving advice?

«If I were you (of course, if I was as tall and fast as you), I hastened to find a much safer shelter than a rock garden,» he croaked. — The appearance of the portal might have been noticed in Ishgud. And if so, then very soon more than a dozen of his Guardians will appear here.

— Guardians? — Alice asked uncomprehendingly.

— Exactly, young lady! Or Watchers, «the stone held out carefully. — You need to hurry! But before you do that, take me with you. I’m sure there will be some free space in your pocket for old Stone. Believe me, I can no longer endure the tortures and the evil that they inflict on me in the cursed castle.

«W-x-good,» agreed Alice. She did not understand what the stone was talking about, but she also really wanted to leave here as soon as possible. Suddenly, the realization descended on her that she could move — fear was replaced by a sincere desire to run. Alice went to the stone, lifted it carefully and put it in the pocket of her jacket. Picking up a briefcase sprawled on the asphalt, she rushed to the nearest alley with all her strength.

— Where should we run? — Alice was still frightened by the picture of endless rows of frozen passers-by, as well as those who strive to hit the face of hanging raindrops.

«Head forward, young lady,» came the raspy voice of a stone named Stone from his pocket. «If I’m not mistaken, there must be one of the great faerie roads nearby.

— Which roads?

«Fairy,» Stone replied. «These are ancient creatures that once filled all the lands of the Radiance. Haven’t you heard of them?

«Forgive me, but I don’t know what you mean,» said Alice, who was already skipping among the streets of the frozen city, now and then looking around. — We’re in Aleksinsk. Are you sure you are talking about our city?

— I’m sure of it! — proudly declared Stone, whose voice barely came from his pocket. — I visited your places a thousand centuries ago, when the Mist was present on this land, and I remember this road exactly. Right, please.

«Sorry,» Alice said with pressure. — You do not see where I am running.

«I don’t need it!» During the years that I spent in the captivity of Ishgud, I learned to feel the power of the Mist a mile away. Right, yes, yes, here.

Alice obediently turned in the direction indicated by the stone and ran out onto the Boulevard of Youth. As soon as she caught up with the window of a shoe store, suddenly drops of rain fell on her head.

The city came to life. People continued their bustling path, and cars began to hum along the boulevard curbs. Nobody seemed to notice what had happened.

Alice stopped abruptly: the revived city seemed to her something even more magical than a talking stone in her pocket. The light breeze gently caressed the stuck together hair was like a miracle.

In truth, she didn’t like this place. But I have always admired his extraordinary beauty. It so happened that a lot in Alice’s life was associated with the local streets. Even now, seven years later, she clearly remembered the day when she decided to run away from the orphanage. The first breath of real freedom and morning air is very difficult to forget.

— We need to hurry, — Stone was sitting in his pocket. — Someone removed the time loop. Perhaps the pursuit is behind us!

Alice herself understood that the city did not come to life by itself. Therefore, it was necessary to quickly find the very mysterious road about which Stone spoke. It sometimes seemed to her that in the endless crowd of passers-by she noticed the figure of the Fat Man.

I had to hurry. The girl unconditionally trusted the talking stone — after all, he was magical, which means that he knew much more about everything that was happening. Although, to be completely honest, Alice would gladly agree to know nothing about it at all.

Yunosti Boulevard was located in the very center of Aleksinsk and was the main attraction of the city. Here one could find sculptures and fountains of unprecedented beauty, as well as a fantastic spruce tree, which on New Year’s Eve was always overgrown with bright lights and festive toys.

The city — every corner of it — was filled with colorful summer colors. Even despite the rain, he was in full readiness to entertain, lure and tempt bystanders in every possible way. He brilliantly arranged his nets, and people happily fell into them, preferring stifling beauty salons and covers of fashion magazines to fresh air, and other people’s fates to his own life.

— We to the left, young lady, — did not stop the creaking voice from his pocket. Fortunately, only Alice heard him. Other passers-by were too preoccupied with their problems that they simply did not notice anything around.

Soon enough, Alice turned the corner of one of the shopping centers and stopped. Making sure no one was watching her, she pulled a talking stone from her pocket and held it up at her eye level. The tiny creature had no hands to hold on to the girl’s palm, which is why he immediately grumbled so that she would not drop him.

«The passage is here,» Stone said proudly. — I can’t be wrong!

— But there is nothing here! — Alice said in a frustrated voice. She was sure that Stone was still mistaken, and that she would have to find another way in order to quickly find herself in a safe place. However, the stone itself did not seem annoyed by its flaw. He peered attentively at the rickety porches of residential buildings and the courtyard cluttered with cars.

— There! the stone finally exclaimed. — Over there!

Alice looked at the spontaneous garbage dump that had formed over time at the end of the apartment building, then at Stone’s confident stone face. Having straightened the briefcase that had slid off her shoulder, the girl walked slowly to the dump, holding a talking stone with one hand, and with the other pinching her nose from the wild stench.

«It’s here,» Stone said. — Judging by the smell, people are rarely here.

— I hope that I will not be here for a long time, — Alice grumbled, squeezing the bridge of her nose with all her might. Her eyes were watering, and her heart felt the approaching danger. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two men running behind her from behind the mall. Yes, yes: it was Sulmedir and the Fat Man, who from afar seemed like a true mountain of fat.

— Hurry, throw me up! Stone commanded belligerently.

Alice did not think for a long time and obediently threw a stone into the air. As she suspected, Stone did not crash to the ground, but hovered right in front of her face.

— Here they are! came a cold, high-pitched voice behind them. — There, by the landfill!

Alice’s heart beat very quickly: she was afraid to look back, but she clearly heard the stamping of rapidly approaching feet. The girl closed her eyes, not imagining what awaits her. But a hand dug hard into the lapel of her summer jacket and pulled quickly forward. For a split second, Alice thought that she had fallen into the water: something wet, but incredibly warm and pleasant, enveloped her body.

— Don’t open your eyes! — a female exclamation rang out near her ear. — Go ahead, but be careful not to open your eyes. It is most important. Did you agree?

Alice silently nodded. She no longer heard the people chasing her or the noise of the road. It seemed to her that those two again used some kind of magic, and now time in the city has once again stood still at their command.

But that was not the case. Alice walked slowly forward, fearing to stumble and open her eyes. She seemed to be floating on the water somewhere in the distance, enjoying every step she took.

Stone’s voice was nowhere to be heard. Probably, he again fell into the hands of the bandits, thought Alice. The fact that she left the unfortunate stone to punish the scoundrels did not at all make her happy.

However, the girl was not alone. Alice felt someone walking next to her. She was already ready to come to terms with the existence of the supernatural, if only to wake up tomorrow morning and understand that it was all just a terrible and ridiculous dream.

— Wait! — the girl stopped and, without opening her eyes, turned to the one walking beside her. — Where am I going?

— Indeed, where? A woman’s voice asked.

— I thought that you would take me where I needed to, — Alice was confused.

— Where do you want? The voice asked again.

Alice thought about it. In fact, she had nowhere to go except to the home that had become her own.

— To Grandma.

«Well, okay,» said a woman’s voice. — Then boldly step forward. When you feel the wind blowing, you can open your eyes. But only then, did you agree?

Alice nodded and continued walking with her eyes closed, catching in the distance the amazing murmur of water and the singing of some incredible birds.

— And what is this place? — asked Alice. She still could not understand where it all came from in the center of the city clogged with cars.

«These lands were once full of amazing songs and heroic legends,» the voice replied after a minute of silence. A spark of sadness was noticeably traced in him. «Now this is a cursed land.

— But why? How did we get here? — Alice was surprised.

— It is true that you are very similar to your father. Fortunately, only outwardly.

— Do you know him? — asked Alice.

But there was no answer: an accelerating breeze hit Alice’s face. The girl opened her eyes and scared backward — she stood on a high slope among yellow-eyed dandelions, and below the outlines of rickety wooden houses were visible.

It was the village of Tumannoye, in which the heroine of our story lived with her grandmother. Here are just a dozen kilometers from Yunosti Boulevard to it!

Alice could not understand: how did she get here and who accompanied her? There was not a soul around: nothing but a wide sea of dandelions and purple chicory torches.

It looks like the rain never came here. Hot air touched his cheeks, and his ears were filled with the trills of a dozen grasshoppers. Somewhere in the distance was a dense forest, over which towered huge cumulus clouds. Butterflies with dragonflies circled merrily over the slope. Now they seemed to Alice as tiny inhabitants of a magical and incomprehensible world…

Life in the village proceeded at an incredibly peaceful, calm and sluggish pace. Although Alice had lived here for seven years already, she could not even think that there were such wonderful and amazing places here. She had already forgotten about everything in the world, and now, mouth open with admiration, stood among the dandelions and enjoyed the rural surroundings.

That’s how I would have stood and stood. Without worries and fuss.

But this was a totally inappropriate time to rest. Very soon Alice’s attention was attracted by a silhouette approaching her. The girl immediately recognized her grandmother’s familiar gait. Despite the years, she was an incredibly tall and strong old woman, whom everyone respected and, perhaps, even feared. Her gray hair was strictly braided back in a shock, and her face cut with wrinkles spoke of the difficult years of her life.

Grandmother climbed the slope, stopped a few steps from Alice and, spreading her arms in a friendly manner, exhaled with relief:

— Glory to heaven! I was already afraid that she would not meet you!

— Who are you talking about, granny?

But there was no answer. A smile full of kindness and tenderness appeared on Evdokia’s face — the one that had so fascinated Alice since childhood.

For her, the girl was ready to forgive anything.

Chapter #4«Dusk»

They walked slowly and were silent all the way. Evdokia seemed somewhat worried: she kept looking around, as if fearing persecution. Alice, on the other hand, quickly forgetting about everything, confidently moved her legs between the rickety fences, from behind which the paws of snow-white lilacs protruded. Despite the fact that the grandmother was the only close person in her life, the girl could not find words to tell her about what happened.

All the way to the house, these two walked in silence until a rattling old woman’s voice called out to them:

— Duska, did you go to the Post Office for an hour?

Among the wooden planks, two dull eyes and a huge hooked nose looked at Evdokia and Alice.

— And then I heard on the radio that our pension was raised — five hundred rubles! There it is, Duska…

— What are you, Antonina, don’t be ridiculous, — Evdokia dismissed her. — Are we supposed to be honored by human power? No more than an old pig in your barn!

«Wait, don’t rush, Duska,» Antonina detained her. The neighbor’s voice dropped so that no one else could overhear them. «Do you remember I told you about the Mist this morning? So, today there were Guardians of the shadows in the village. They were interested in your Aliska. Of course, I lied, they say, I don’t know anything. Hasn’t it come, is it time? Didn’t they find us? — the last phrase was full of sincere horror.

«I think so,» Evdokia answered barely audibly, and raised her hand over the door of the gate. “ Imbragneo,» she whispered, and at the same moment the door of itself swung open for the hostess. She with a casual gesture invited Alice to enter.

The girl had never seen her grandmother open doors like that before. Strange, maybe this is some kind of trick?

She took a step forward and immediately gasped — the same black cat that Alice had already seen a couple of times today was hurrying towards them.

— Sorry that without warning, Vasya.

The cat growled angrily and quickly followed to the open gate. There was another click — the door closed again, as if by magic. Maybe this was it?

Alice cautiously followed her grandmother and climbed the steps of the porch. Vaska the cat jumped onto the window next to the door from inside the house. And how did he get there so quickly? In any case, there was a click in the keyhole of the door and it opened.

— Come in, Alice, don’t be scared. It’s just a hectic day today, you can’t explain everything at once.

Grandma looked a little confused. She was silent, collecting her thoughts for a long time. It looked like the conversation was about to be serious. But Alice didn’t like such conversations!

It turned out that they were not alone in the house. In the kitchen, at the dinner table, another neighbor, a young red-haired woman named Svetlana, was waiting for the girl and her grandmother. She was long over thirty, but outwardly she barely made it to twenty-five. The neighbor nervously fiddled with the fork and lazily swayed her leg under the table.

— Hello, — Alice greeted her (she was already used to frequent visits by Aunt Sveta. Sometimes the girl had the impression that a neighbor was living with them — so often she and her grandmother met over a cup of tea).

— Hello, Aliska! How did you get there? I hope you’re okay?

Alice silently looked at her neighbor, not fully understanding: did she just say that, or does she know from somewhere what happened to her?

«Yes,» the girl agreed, fervently hoping that the conversation her grandmother had warned about would be about something else.

Evdokia entered the kitchen after Alice. She sat down at the table opposite the red-haired neighbor, offering her tea from the samovar on the table. But Aunt Sveta made it clear that she was not here for this.

«In Ishgud they already know about Alice,» Svetlana said suddenly gloomily, addressing the old woman. The girl was alert: again this is a strange word!

«It doesn’t matter anymore,» she sighed heavily. «We’ll have to leave here. Maybe all the same tea, Sveta?

— No, thanks, Bab Dus. Soon my Antoshka has to return from school, — Svetlana again gave Alice a mysterious smile. — Your vacation starts tomorrow, doesn’t it?

— Yes, — Alice nodded, looking into the refrigerator. After everything that had happened to her, she craved something to eat. — Where do we need to go, granny? I wish I could go to the sea at least once!

Evdokia was silent, frowning, but soon sighed again, saying:

— Maybe at sea. Alice, I got a call from your school today. — The girl felt how the earth was leaving from under her feet. «I was told what happened.

— But grandma, I didn’t do anything! — Alice protested, swallowing a huge sandwich with sausage and cheese on the way. — Nothing, honestly!

«I know,» the grandmother smiled affectionately. «And yet I have cause for concern.

— Yes, everything is fine, granny, — muttered Alice, chewing on a sandwich. — I did not set fire to anything, the director will confirm this. If, of course, everything is all right with him.

She suddenly remembered that she had split him into pieces.

— Aliska, how can you not understand! — exclaimed Aunt Sveta. — It’s not at all whether you did something or not!

— In terms of? — Alice stared blankly at her neighbor, interrupting for a moment the torment of the sandwich.

— I mean that you were able to escape — and this is the most important thing! Am I right, babe Dus?

Alice almost dropped the remnants of food on the floor.

Here are the ones on. Don’t they really know what happened to her after school? But from where?

— There is nothing wrong with the fact that you always get into trouble, — Evdokia slyly winked at her granddaughter and smiled affectionately. — It’s quite normal.

— Fine? — Alice indignantly looked at her grandmother, resentment and indignation crept up to her throat. — And what do you think is normal in this? Nothing like that happens to the others in my class. And if I’m normal, then I don’t want to be like that at all!

«Not everything is so simple, granddaughter,» the old woman replied seriously, after which she exchanged strange glances with her neighbor and, without explaining anything, left the kitchen.

Alice looked inquiringly at Aunt Sveta, but she did not explain anything either. Clumsily getting out from the table, she winked at the girl and, without saying goodbye, followed the mistress of the house.

There were three left in the kitchen: silence, Alice, and a half-eaten sandwich.

The clock was idly counting down the time. Flies buzzed in the cobweb-covered window frame. Someone persistently knocked on the glass — it was a branch of garden jasmine that asked for the house.

Having finished with dinner, Alice decided to go out into the yard in order to somehow distract herself from the surging feelings. She didn’t really want to see Aunt Sveta and her grandmother. Yes, yes, despite the fact that their strange conversations only aroused a bunch of questions for them.

No voices were heard. Probably bosom friends locked themselves in one of the back rooms of the house. Alice could not understand in any way: what kind of secrets do adults have and why do they not want to be overheard? Sighing in frustration, the girl pulled the door on herself and went out into the yard.

Throughout the village, children’s voices could be heard — these were local boys returning from school. I wonder if she will finally see Anton?

This was really difficult to do. For all the time that the girl lived in Tumanny, she never met him. They constantly talked about this boy, moreover, he studied with Alice in the same school and even lived next door. But it was absolutely unreal to see him, no matter how hard she tried.

Chickens walked around the yard with an important gait. Looks like grandmother got really crazy and forgot to close the chicken coop. Breaking off a long cane from the jasmine bush, Alice began chasing the birds, driving them out of the yard.

— Hey, Cinderella! Not your shoe? — there was a boy’s laughter, and an old, torn galosh, lying by the road, jumped over the fence into the yard.

A group of boys, led by the lanky Sashka Bagrov, stood at the Gromovs fence and laughed heartily at the whole village. None of the locals dared to contact them: these hooligans studied in high school and often ended up in the police station for pogroms and robberies.

— Very funny, — Alice frowned, tossing a dirty galosh aside with a cane.

— You’re not rude to me, Cinderella! — rumbled Sashka Bagrov, smiling maliciously all over his face. — And then I will not regret you and your grandmother! I will set fire to your house, no one will prove it!

— Exactly, — one of the boys assented. — His father works in court, he won’t get anything!

Laughing out loud again, the guys wandered on, leaving Alice surrounded by frightened chickens. The girl, in frustration, kicked the wooden fence. How it got her! When will this stupid day finally end?

No matter how hard she tried, she did not succeed in holding back the tears running down her face. Having driven the last bird into the hen house, she returned to the house and locked herself in her room.

It was always very cozy here. An incredibly small room, cluttered with wardrobe and bookshelves, with a small cot and a lily flowerpot on the windowsill. Only a worn-out laptop that Alice had been given by her grandmother for the very first birthday in her house spoke of modernity here. Then, with the appearance of her granddaughter, Evdokia firmly decided to modernize her home a little.

For the first time in many years, dilapidated walls have learned what a TV is and even wireless Internet. Although, of course, all this modernity focused mainly on Alice’s room — the grandmother did not dare to give up rural life, leaving only a TV in the living room.

The Gromovs did not have mobile phones either, which greatly amused the girl’s classmates. But Evdokia flatly refused to buy this «strange thing for talking» to her granddaughter.

Most of the chamomile wallpaper walls were hung with posters of the local football team, and at the very top of the bookcase were two metal trophies for winning a courtyard tournament.

Alice simply idolized football, although she discovered it for herself only two years ago. This was for her the most important outlet among all the humiliation and ridicule. There, on the field, she really lived, breathed deeply, not being afraid of anything in the world. The trainings took place far beyond the training walls, and the boys from the team valued Alice very much — after all, she was the only girl in the whole club, and she was masterful of the ball. A real talisman! Alice corresponded with many of the guys by e-mail. Especially with the team captain — Dimka Filippov, in the girl’s opinion, the cutest guy in their city.

She lay buried in the pillow, and tried in every possible way to doze off. In recent days, this has become more and more difficult. In her dreams, forgotten moments of terrible bullying and torture, the faces of adults and children constantly arose…

She dreamed of an orphanage. This dream had been to her for seven years. Every night she ran again and again down the long corridor of the orphanage, followed by the furious teacher and headmistress.

They are about to catch up with her — just a little, a little more. But at the most crucial moment, something happens. A bright flash knocks the pursuers off their feet, and the girl manages to run out into the yard.

Is it really a dream? Of course not. Although she would give everything in the world so that it turned out to be an ordinary invention.

— Khe-khe.

Someone politely cleared his throat, and Alice almost jumped to the ceiling in surprise. Vaska the cat was sitting on the windowsill of her room and lazily licking his paw. Alice drew back, not understanding how he got here.

— My hostess asked me to tell you that dinner is ready, — said the cat, not paying attention to the surprise of young Gromova.

— What? That is… Is that you for me? she said in confusion.

— Well, who else? the cat stared at her lazily. — There is no one here except us. By the way, Svetlana is having dinner with us today. So, please, brush your hair and wash. And that is not convenient in front of the guests, honestly!

The cat snorted unnaturally, waved its fluffy tail and… disappeared!

Alice rubbed her tear-stained eyes — no, she couldn’t imagine it.

The girl flew out of the room like a bullet, afraid to look back. She really wanted to tell her grandmother about this. Well, you must — isn’t she, Alisa Gromova, able to understand cats? Or are they hers? And then: since when did Aunt Sveta become a guest in their house? Yes, she is already a full member of the family, by God!

From the side of the kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked pie and mashed potatoes with onions could already be heard. She rushed past the living room like lightning and stopped abruptly two steps from the kitchen, from where, at that very moment, came the alarming voices of grandmother, Aunt Sveta and… really a cat? Yes, it was Vaska. It turns out that the grandmother already knows that he is talking?

«It’s harder than I thought,» Evdokia sighed, clinking dishes. — Alice is already worried. She could barely forget the past. And here it is.

— Do you think the plan will work, eh, babe Dus? — Aunt Sveta’s voice rang out in the porcelain glass. Apparently, the neighbor was habitually sitting at the dinner table and lazily sipping hot tea with mint.

— And how, — was heard an old voice. — I just feel sorry for her. So much has fallen down! And how much more she has to learn …!

— Are you so attached to her, mistress? — the cat’s voice sounded.

«She is my granddaughter,» Evdokia said with pressure on the «granddaughter». — My blood also flows in it. Don’t forget about it, Vasilus. Whatever the circumstances, Alice should have a chance to be saved. That is why we urgently need to leave here.

«But this will only postpone the inevitable,» snorted the cat.

— Yes, you are right, Vasilus. Still, it’s better than waiting for them to break into my house.

Everyone suddenly fell silent. At that moment, the kitchen door creaked, and the silhouette of an alarmed Alice appeared. Aunt Sveta, as if nothing had happened, began to finish her tea, eating it with lingonberry jam. The cat spun around Evdokia, begging for food.

— Sit down at the table, Alice, dinner is ready.

The grandmother smiled affably at her granddaughter, as if they had no conversation.

On the table, the girl was already attracted to a portion of mashed potatoes, and a fragrant pie awaited its fate from a battered stove.

— Granny, can I ask you something? — said Alice, landing at the table. For the whole day she was so hungry that she was ready to exchange some of her indignation for a hearty dinner. — Just in my room I was talking to the cat. Rather, it was he who spoke to me. And in the afternoon, when I returned from school, the talking stone gave me advice! Tell me, granny, can I see the doctor?

— Vasya, I told you not to talk to her! Oh no no no! And the highest category of stealth!

Evdokia shook her head and kindly shook her finger at the cat. He just snorted in displeasure and jumped onto the windowsill. Alice decided that she was just being bullied.

— Granny, you probably did not understand. This cat is talking! You just heard it yourself. He says!!!

— Well, of course, he says, — Evdokia smiled calmly and blazing with tenderness and sympathy, looked at her granddaughter. — I am so sorry that all this has come down on you, Alisonka. After everything you’ve been through. I really wanted you to find out the truth as late as possible.

— What is the truth? the girl asked, stuffing mashed potatoes into her cheeks. Hunger was stronger than curiosity.

Evdokia exchanged glances with her red-haired friend, after which she replied:

— Well, for example, that Vaska is not an ordinary cat. You probably already understood that. He is our housekeeper, does the housework, helps me in business. You, of course, have not seen him before, but he always lived next to us.

Alice almost choked:

— Who is he?

«Brownie,» Aunt Sveta, bored and pondering over something, nodded seriously.

— You’re kidding, right? — Alice frowned.

— Of course, they are joking, — said the cat, dreamily turning away towards the window.

Alice choked again:

— Oh well. Let’s say he’s a brownie. Why am I only seeing him now? Why would he suddenly show himself? No, I still have something with my head.

Alice was afraid of this more than anything else. Now her worst fears were coming true: as soon as she began to live like ordinary children, so on you — a brownie, Stone Stone, villains who confused her with some kind of Simila…

«Circumstances have changed, Aliska,» Aunt Sveta explained in the same bored voice. Noticing the girl’s uncomprehending look, she added: «Those people who attacked you on the bus today are looking for you. Rather, your father is looking for you.

There was a ringing: Alice dropped a glass of hot tea on the floor. After hitting the wooden floor, the porcelain vessel shattered into pieces, and the spray of tea nearly burned the girl’s legs.

«I’ll clean it up later,» the cat responded lazily, not looking up from the window. The web between the frames interested him much more than the conversations of people.

«Is my father looking for me?» — Alice was taken aback, forgetting about the meal. She still did not take her eyes off the talking cat. — But he was imprisoned, right? Is he already out of prison?

— No, we are talking about your own father, — the grandmother carefully sat down next to her, as if the girl looked seriously ill. — Yes, Alice, it is. The people who tried to capture you today showed up at the behest of your real father. I wanted to stop them, but it didn’t work out. That is why you and I need to leave here.

— So I have a father? Present? Wow, great!

— Everyone has it, Alice. But this is far from the reason to be happy about it.

Evdokia sighed heavily and again exchanged glances with her neighbor.

«Alice,» she continued. — When I picked you up from the orphanage, I didn’t want anyone to know that I was your own grandmother. Even you.

— But my mom…

— Stepmother, — corrected Aunt Sveta.

— What?

«Your real mother died as soon as you were born,» gasped Evdokia. It was clear that she chose her words carefully. — Poor Marianne, whom you always called your mother, we met only a couple of times, and she vowed never to tell you about my existence.

— But why? — Alice looked at her grandmother, then at the unusually silent Aunt Sveta.

«There were reasons for that, Alisonka,» Evdokia smiled at her. — But now that your father found you…

— What’s wrong with the fact that he wants to meet with me? — Alice said with undisguised hope and immediately realized that she had blurted out too much. Frankly, she always dreamed of meeting at least one of her relatives. And then the father himself is looking for her! The situation, it would seem, could not be better. But it’s not entirely clear why Grandma is so upset?

«You see,» Aunt Sveta began cautiously, expecting the most unpredictable reaction from Alice. — How can I tell you? He wants to kill you. That’s what’s wrong.

For a moment it seemed to Alice that the chair on which she was sitting was slowly going down somewhere. Freezing cold washed over my cheeks, as if a glass of water had just been thrown from the freezer.

— What? — the girl stared at the red-haired neighbor in shock. — Kill? So you’re talking about my stepfather, or what?

— No, Alice, we are not talking about him, — the grandmother lowered her head.

«If so, why would he want me dead? — Alice did not calm down in any way. — He has never seen me, and neither have I. So? What if he likes me? What then? And then, who is he anyway?

«His name is Prodmir Gromov,» Evdokia said gloomily, as if she refused to call him by name. — And he is the Sovereign of the country called Shining. He is also the ruler of Ishgud, the castle of the Seven Mages on the Lonely Mountain. Well, at least that’s what he calls himself.

— Is he a schizo? What is this nonsense? — Alice raised her eyebrows.

«I’ll go,» Aunt Sveta suddenly jumped up from the table. It was evident that she was very worried about something. — Antoshka is with Erema now, he is about to return. Sorry, Bab Dus, but I don’t trust your Eremey. Besides, I’m not ready for dinner either. And I promised Antoshka a special one — after all, he has not a single triple in a year!

— Let him come to us, together and have supper! Alice mumbled angrily. She was very angry with everything that was happening around — all these secrets, riddles, crazy conversations. Why can no one really explain what the cause of her troubles is? Why does her father want her dead? What’s all this talk about wizards?

And then there’s this elusive Anton. Sometimes it seemed to Alice that Aunt Sveta had no family at all, since she spent whole days and evenings in their kitchen.

— Excuse me, Aunt Light, but I have never met your Antoshka at school. And I didn’t see him in the village either.

— It doesn’t matter, Aliska, — she said cheerfully. — You still have the whole summer ahead. Holidays, after all!

Vigorously ruffling the hair on the girl’s head, Aunt Sveta briskly walked to the exit and soon disappeared through the door.

Dusk was already wandering outside the window. Somewhere in the distance, from the side of the forest at the edge of the forest, childish exclamations were heard: the village children were playing football. Local boys did not even let Alice near the ball — they generally tried not to get along with her. And she very quickly put up with it.

«Forgive me, Alice,» was heard from behind, and the girl was distracted from the window. Grandmother sat at the table and silently glared at her with a guilty look. She looked completely shattered. — I know how worried you are that you are different from other children.

— Different? Alice asked. — Yes, I don’t want to be different, grandma, I don’t want to!!!

Her voice trembled treacherously, and tears spontaneously ran to her cheeks. She just wanted to go to her room, but at that moment the grandmother seemed to read her mind:

— You, Alisonka, daughter of a powerful magician, magician, if you wish. Unfortunately, one cannot escape from this. As well as from myself.

— ALL!!! I’m happy with fairy tales!!!

Alice threw up her hands and silently turned to the door. At first she thought about her room, but decided that it would be better to leave the house altogether. For two hours, no more.

— Let it go! I don’t care who you are!

Vaska appeared directly in front of her. At the same time, the voice of my grandmother was heard behind:

— Alice, don’t be silly, it’s already dark outside the window.

— Well, let it be, — she snapped. — Let me pass, whoever you are!

Vaska the cat, or, as Evdokia called him, Vasilus, did not interfere and only walked aside, nervously wagging his tail.

The door slammed shut, and Alice breathed in the fresh evening air with relief. Jumping over the steps, she angrily yanked the gate door and immediately disappeared behind the fence.

The girl wandered somewhere forward, kicking everything that got on the road. The twilight did not frighten her: she was already accustomed to walking so late. At the edge of the forest, far from residential buildings, the yard match continued. Alice’s something skipped a beat inside — oh, that would also play football! But she preferred not to mess with local boys, and training in the city for her ended before the fall.

Not far from the sports battles, wheat fields began, belonging to a collective farm once known in the region. This spring the land became the property of a wealthy businessman, which the villagers did not like very much. As a result, the field was not sown, and instead of wheat, a giant sedge, mixed with chamomiles and chicory, was now growing on it.

Frankly, Alice didn’t care whose land it was. She considered her hers. Since then, when the girl settled in Misty, this field became fabulous for her, where she could spend hours alone and imagine herself in the role of the Queen of a mysterious country. Which, by the way, attracted her much more than anything else invented by anyone. It was a little scary, but nevertheless, Alice always really liked to walk alone in the evenings among the ears of wheat and see off the day burning in the sky.

In the girl’s head, the words of her grandmother and aunt Sveta about her father were still spinning.

Wizard? But how can such a thing be? Although, for today she had seen enough of such that now she was ready to believe even in family ties with sorcerers. The only thing she could not figure out: why did her father need to kill her? She didn’t do anything bad to anyone.

Frankly, she very vaguely remembered what happened to her before moving to Tumannoye. Or rather, I didn’t want to remember. Only short excerpts of horrible pictures from the past sometimes crept into her dreams. But she struggled with this unsuccessfully.

Nevertheless, the fact remains: she was being followed and wanted to be captured. What if the people on the bus really know where she lives? It was no accident that my grandmother spoke of the need to leave.

Alice stopped abruptly and looked around. Lost in thought, she did not even notice how she went deep into the field. There was only grass around her, sometimes reaching the girl’s head.

The Evening Mist drifted slowly across the overgrown field…

…And then THEY appeared.

At first, the girl thought they were fireflies, sleeping peacefully in baskets of field daisies. The creatures sparkled in the darkness with tiny lights, playing with glare from the flapping of silvery wings. They are very small to make out at least somehow. Alice rubbed her eyes: no, it didn’t seem to her — they were tiny creatures very much like people, with graceful wings behind their backs. Fairies? My God, it can’t be! Thousands, millions — the whole field now shone from their lights.

— Who are you? — Alice stared at them. — Are you fairies?

— We are extravaganza, — one of the tiny creatures responded busily. The voice was very quiet, clear and melodic.

— Wow! I have never met you here before, «Alice exclaimed, not hiding surprise, squatting down.

«Times are changing,» said the voice of the tiny fairy again. Alice thought it was coming from a lush chicory standing nearby. «We cannot leave the confines of the Radiance, but we wanted to warn you.

— And you mean the same? Well, I do not! — Alice burst out. — I have enough stone and a cat for today!

— And yet: you must not go beyond this field. Only here, in Foggy, are you safe. He is looking for you, Alice. We are sure you know who we are talking about.

— You mean my father, or what? — the girl screamed in indignation. — Yes, I wanted to spit on him! I don’t know who he is, but I am a human being and I don’t care what others say there!

The fairies did not answer. The lights in the field disappeared instantly, as if someone had scared them away. In the darkness of the coming night, only the melodies of grasshoppers were heard.

It was time to really return home: they were probably already worried. Moreover, she only promised her grandmother yesterday that she would personally take care of the chickens that appeared a couple of days ago. In a word, there were many things to do at home.

And yet someone was making their way across the field towards Alice. It was difficult to see the person in the Fog, but something about him was very, very frightening. The girl decided to go home through a forest path — the path was longer, but it ran past the edge where football was going. Interestingly, the boys have already fled to their homes?

Having overcome the abandoned field, Alice walked along the stitch of the forest. But as soon as she took a few steps in his direction, she immediately cried out in horror. A nasty, bony, almost completely rotten hand touched her shoulder.

— Here you are, dear! — croaked a disgusting male voice.

Chapter #5 «Lottion»

Alice could not move. She was shaking with horror — right in front of her stood what looked like a hunched over old man with a huge beard overgrown with mold and moss. He smelled of rot a mile away from him, and his ugly face was covered with oak leaves growing right out of his head. He wheezed and groaned all the time, waddling with difficulty from foot to foot.

«The forest will take someone’s life tonight,» he said drawn out. — It is very sad. Why didn’t you obey your grandmother? Weren’t you warned?

Alice trembled harder than ever. The news that someone was about to die did not at all inspire confidence. She was afraid to say anything, but, gathering together the remnants of courage, she squeaked:

— Sorry. I didn’t mean it, honestly!

«Now you come with me if you want to live,» the old man puffed. His voice simultaneously sounded the voices of birds and forest animals. — The night has its own laws. The fog is growing, and the Watchers are awake. You’re Simila, aren’t you?

— No, you were probably wrong. My name is Alice, — corrected the girl, with difficulty restraining herself so as not to pinch her nose.

«I don’t care what people call you,» the old man croaked like a raven and with a gesture ordered the girl to follow him. — In our world you are known under a different name. Let’s go, let’s go! Soon it’s midnight.

It was the most reckless decision in Alice’s life. Not fully understanding why she was doing this, she walked after the disgusting old man who went into the depths of the forest. Everything inside her shouted: «Run! Back! Come back home! Save yourself! "But something made her walk among the darkness and thick impenetrable Mist, wade between bushes and tree branches, as if her legs were under the influence of an unknown spell.

These two went deep into the forest, where they were already waiting for the unknown. Where is this rotting old man leading her right on the go? To death?

Unexpectedly for herself, Alice began to notice that nearby, along the bushes, mysterious creatures — huge, with multi-colored wings, were making their way.

«These are karakut birds,» the old man growled, as if he had read her mind. — Birds of happiness, as you call them. People from the outside world love to chase after them instead of just living. We don’t need to worry — these birds are harmless.

— Excuse me, where are we going? — Alice asked loudly, with difficulty trying to make out the mysterious birds. Somehow they reminded her of the peacocks that were depicted in the picture in the school textbook.

«Home,» the old man said in the same beastly voice. — Do you know, girl, that we are on the brink of war? And it’s all because of you!

— Wars? Because of me? — Alice stopped abruptly, indignation boiled in her. — Who are you?

— My name is too significant for me to say it out loud. Those who live in your village — I mean your family and those close to its secret, call me Erem. This name is more acceptable to people like you.

Alice remembered how her grandmother and her neighbor, quite recently, talked about some Eremey. It seems that Aunt Sveta was very worried, saying that her Antoshka was with him now. Now the girl understood perfectly well that there really were reasons for concern. Who, tell me, would like to leave their child with such a monster?

— Do you live right here in the forest?

«I am the forest, girl,» the old man said sternly. — Everything that you see around — bushes, logs, trees, grass — it’s all me! And the Mist, be it wrong!

Alice fell silent, afraid to ask her most troubling question. But she still asked:

— Are you, in general, a man?

The rotting creature in the form of an old man did not answer. Erema was still plodding forward, dragging his little companion almost into the thick of the forest Mist. At the same time, someone was walking towards them with a brisk gait. Something snapped in Alice’s soul: here it is — nothing but a trap. And she, like a fool, dragged herself after this monster almost through the entire forest. And she herself came, no one seemed to pull it by force. Exactly: a fool.

The steps approached. And at the very moment when our heroine was ready to meet again with Sulmedir and Fat Man, a silhouette of a boy appeared from behind a nearby oak tree.

He was apparently fifteen. Confident — even too — a look, a stern chin and dark hair, huddled in a bunch. Alice had never met him before, but immediately knew who it was.

The guy wearily dragged in his hand the most ordinary iron canister for several liters. Exactly the same one stood in the Gromovs’ house — they always poured fresh milk into it. The boy was dressed in light trousers and a summer jacket, from under which a fairly worn dark T-shirt peeped out.

— How is it going? — croaked to him towards Erem. — Collected?

— Like, — he exhaled wearily, wiping the sweat that had appeared on his forehead with his free hand. — I barely got away. I don’t think they noticed me at the Fish Factory.

— Excellent, — said Erema indifferently. — Here — I’m leading you company.

The guy, not letting go of the canister, quickly approached Alice — something gurgled ominously in the container.

— Well hello! — He smiled mockingly, looking at the girl. — Honestly, I introduced you a little different. Well, that is, more like an eika, or something.

— On whom? — Alice raised her eyebrows in indignation. — Anton, isn’t it? Not surprisingly, I never met you at school. Perhaps you study in a special class for especially gifted ones?

With a gesture of her fingers she enclosed the phrase «especially gifted» in quotation marks.

Anton pursed his lips, his face sharply became serious and detached.

«You could say that,» he replied. «My real name is Lottion. That is my name in the Shining. But you can speak to me in a human way.

He looked at Alice mockingly and snorted ironically.

— Yes, not really? — the girl frowned. She did not like this boy at all. — What are you, a vampire, or what? Or maybe a Yettie?

— Especially for people like you, I repeat: I am eik!

— Who? — Alice stared in confusion at the boy.

— Hey, he is, — Erema coughed angrily. — Come on, we must return you home. Duska has not looked like herself at all lately. War, be it wrong!

«Mom says that there may be no war,» Anton remarked, defiantly ignoring Alice’s presence. — She and Baba Dusya keep talking about the agreement between the Eiks and Sensei!

— It’s all nonsense! — growled in response to Erem and quickened his pace. Anton and Alice obediently followed him. — Senses no longer have the right to vote. Nobody has. Perhaps, Rundar. But he is not one of those who will protect someone. He has completely different plans for a possible battle. They say he is gathering his own army.

— Someone explain to me what kind of war? And who are the senses?

Alice looked at Anton — he could hardly hold on so as not to ridicule her.

«Actually, you can’t talk about war in this forest,» he hissed in her ear, noticing the old man’s angry look. — Do you see how nervous Erema is? I’ll tell you when we’re safe. Okay?

— Better nowhere, — the girl frowned. Well, it’s a day today — just horror! Solid secrets!

The trinity walked forward, now and then stumbling in the night Mist on something round and rather weighty. It seems they were pine cones, but for some reason they are very large. Erema walked ahead and groaned terribly, as if steps were given to him with great difficulty.

Alice was tormented by questions. She kept glancing at Anton, who was still carrying a canister of unknown liquid. I wonder where she could see him? And what kind of strange talk about some eiks? One of two things: either she doesn’t know something, or she’s just crazy.

— Listen, can you still explain who the eiki are?

Anton chuckled:

— Tell me more that you don’t know!

«No,» she stopped, staring blankly at the barely visible outlines of her companion.

— It’s not funny anymore! — he was confused and also stopped. — You… Oh, why?!

Erema forcefully hit the boy with a huge bump:

— You remember the rules, Lotto!

— Yes, I know, — he snapped, and rubbed the bruised top of his head in frustration. — Your Simila surrendered to me! She’s kind of strange, and in general…

Alice still did not move from her place, shifting an uncomprehending glance from Anton to Yerema. Everything inside her was boiling.

— Actually my name is Alice! Alisa Gromova! Alice!

— Yes, it is clear, clear, — said Anton mockingly and, deciding that it was better not to mess with her now, he lazily wandered after Erema. — Come on, it’s midnight soon.

«A-li-sa», — the guy barely audibly mimicked the girl and quickened his pace. For the latter, of course, this seemed insufficient, but she did not want to remain in the middle of the approaching night in the forest, in the middle of the Mist. Anton didn’t say another word until all three heard the sound of a dozen feet behind them.

— Here he is, this boy! — shouted someone in a whitish veil. — Here it is, hold it! Keep it!

Alice looked around and almost collapsed to the ground in surprise.

Gnomes! By God, gnomes! Small, one meter tall, creatures chased our travelers and yelled something belligerently throughout the forest.

«Everything,» the girl breathed out. «Now is the time for the doctor. Now I see the gnomes!

«They are dwarves, you fool. Let’s run, what are you worth?!

Anton grabbed Alice’s hand with all his might and jerked forward. Eremes and the trace is gone, as if he did not walk ahead. The guy did not even think to let go of the canister, despite its heaviness. Something inside was bubbling and bobbing madly.

— What do they want? — the girl shouted after him. Now she showed all her courage and dexterity, so as not to stumble and not to sprawl on the ground.

— I borrowed some life water from the water forest, — Anton responded. — Just a little bit.

— Borrowed?

— Exactly! True, I did not think that the durfs were now at one with them. Erema said that everything changes before the war.

— You said that you can’t talk about war! Wait: you stole water from the water… how?

— How long do you think! — Anton shouted. — Water splashes! But it’s better not to tell anyone about it. Who will believe you anyway? You already have one leg… However, okay, come here, quickly!

They jumped over a log and stopped. Alice was hurt to the depths of her soul, but she kept herself not to tell this Anton everything that she thought about him.

The girl was breathing heavily, and it hurt dangerously under the rib. The footfalls of the little ones came closer and faster. And then something burned the air. Alice glanced around, with great difficulty trying to make out her companion. Unexpectedly for herself, she again saw the already familiar picture — the whole world around froze in place. The Dwurfs who pursued them froze in warlike postures.

— Let’s go, — Anton’s voice was heard, and he again grabbed the girl’s hand. The guys continued their run.

— What happened? — Alice shouted ahead, dodging another branch flying at her.

— I stopped time, — Anton responded. — Not for long, of course.

— What do you mean — stopped? It’s impossible!

— What are you? Seriously? the boy whistled ironically.

Alice did not see his face, but she was sure that he was now wearing a malicious smile.

— And why, then, you and I are not frozen like they are?

— Because I created the time shift. And you… Because Gromova, that’s probably why.

— Very cute.

Alice was furious. She hated this arrogant and impudent guy with all her insides, and if it were not for the strange creatures behind, then she would definitely have the resolve to drop him off.

Previously, she could never boast of the ability to act insanely, but in the last days of the school year, they began to rapidly manifest in her, and threefold in size. And the girl could not cope with this.

Anton peered insistently into the darkness and the Mist in front of him. And then, finally, I noticed something. There, among the trees, a light arose.

— Rather, there! — he shouted, and at the same moment Alice realized that time had run its course again — dozens of legs rumbled behind her and someone’s angry voices.

— I’m sorry, but I can’t stop him for a long time, — Anton’s guilty voice reached Alice.

She ran. Just think how many times she had to get away today! If not for sports, it would be very bad. Eh, the coach would see her now!

She did not even understand how she flew over the step of the threshold of the rickety house in the middle of the forest and immediately fell to her knees, breathing heavily. The door creaked shut, hiding the fugitives on the dilapidated terrace. Anton stood nearby and carefully examined what was happening in the forest through the window of the hut.

— It seems they have fallen behind, — he sighed with relief. — Yerema’s house is surrounded by lunar magicians, they won’t stick in here.

Anton finally let go of the canister and looked at Alice. It was lighter in the house than outside, which made it easy for the girl to see the guy’s blue eyes. He held out his hand to her.

— Let’s get to know each other: Lottion, eik.

— Alice. Just Alice.

The awkward handshake quickly turned into laughter. The girl, plainly, could not explain whether she still felt anger at Anton or not.

— What kind of ignorance? The familiar groaning was heard outside the door leading into the living room. Erema muttered angrily to himself. — Who allowed to laugh in my house?

The door flew open and a disgusting silhouette of an old man appeared on the threshold. The cheerful mood of the guys disappeared in an instant.

— Follow me, live!

Anton obediently followed Yerema, followed by Alice into the living room.

The old man’s house seemed to be an extension of the forest itself. Moss and mushrooms were growing on the wooden walls, two red squirrels sat on the windows, and instead of a table in the center of the living room there was a huge rotten stump. On it lay two amazing scarlet flowers.

«Kupala fern,» croaked Erema, peering warily out the window. — You are lucky that you still have left from last year.

Alice opened her mouth, but could not find the right words to express her surprise. After all, until that day, she considered the story of the fern flowering just a fairy tale for children.

— Take each flower, — ordered Erema. — Don’t hesitate.

Alice quickly grabbed one of the buds with her hand. Anton did the same. At the same moment, something flew over the girl’s head. Whether it was a bird or something else, she did not understand, she could only clearly distinguish the flapping of her wings above her crown.

Then there was a fall — long and meaningless, somewhere into the void. There was no Erema, no Anton, no strange house around — nothing! Only impenetrable Mist.

There was a blow, and Alice painfully crashed her tailbone against the threshold of her grandmother’s house.

Anton stood beside her and mocked her heartily. The girl wanted to kick him out of anger, but restrained herself. Somehow getting up — the boy did not even try to help her and only neighing contagiously nearby — Alice pulled the door of the house and hurried to disappear behind her as soon as possible.

A stormy meeting was already taking place in the kitchen. This was clear from the multitude of voices coming from there. The girl immediately recognized her grandmother, Svetlana, the cat Vaska (which still bothered the girl a little) and Erema — it was difficult to confuse his voice with someone else. I wonder how he could get here before them?

Alice was about to enter the kitchen, but at the same moment a brownie cat appeared in front of the door. He was busily waving his tail and winking slyly at his young mistress.

«You can’t come here yet,» he said. — There are so many ush here to speak in an undertone.

— What? — Alice stamped in indignation. — This is my house and my kitchen! I want to eat!

— Dinner is waiting in your room, — the cat, whose name was Vaska or Vasilus, lazily stretched, turning his back into an arc. — I see you have a lot of questions. But the answers still have to wait until morning. So why not just return to yourself and take a break from adventure?

Alice was beside herself. Without answering, she turned abruptly on the heels of her faded sneakers and strode into her room. In the hallway, she again ran into Anton. He winked ironically at her, but the girl, chuckling and proudly lifting her nose, defiantly walked away.

The cat was right. Supper was waiting for her in her room, but most of all Alice wanted to sleep. It was long past midnight outside the window, so as soon as she touched the pillow with her face, she fell fast asleep.

Chapter #6 «Face to face»

The splashes of milk tried to throw themselves in the face. The iron bucket, pretty much rumpled, rumbled throughout the barn, and the nose was stuffy from the smell of manure. Alice has long been accustomed to milking a cow, especially since her grandmother has recently begun to complain of poor health. With the approaching summer holidays, all the housekeeping chores were placed on the shoulders of the girl. But she didn’t complain — after all, you can sacrifice a lot for someone you love.

Alice did not allow herself to think about her past. She didn’t want to return to those terrible days again, albeit mentally. Fortunately, Evdokia loaded her with the housework so much that there was simply no time for memories.

Yesterday’s events were also classified as nightmares. And since, upon waking up, she did not find evidence that all this had really happened to her, the girl was relieved to spend a good half of the day in the yard.

Grandmother and aunt Sveta had not been in the house since the morning, and Vaska the cat did not utter a word, no matter how Alice tortured him. No, of course, all this was just a dream!

Carrying the milk into the house and grabbing a huge sandwich with slices of freshly cut tomatoes from the kitchen, she decided to take a walk around the village. Grandma always allowed her to do this, therefore, without hesitation, the girl closed the door in the house more tightly, locked the gate behind her and breathed air into her chest with pleasure — and today is the first day of school holidays!

The heat was only growing for dinner. Antonina’s hooked nose peeped out from behind the fence of the neighboring house.

— Duska didn’t come back, shall I take a look? — she asked, not looking up from watering cucumbers.

«No, I didn’t see her today,» the girl shrugged. — Aunt Sveta, probably, went for mushrooms.

— For mushrooms, you say? — Antonina narrowed her eyes. — Oh well.

The old woman quickly returned to her business, immediately forgetting about her young interlocutor.

The girl, too, did not ask for a continuation of the dialogue and, returning to the sandwich, walked towards the improvised football field.

Summer seems to be going wild this year. The sun was burning so hard that it seemed about to incinerate everything around. The smell of grass became even brighter from the heat, and the horseflies flying along the cattle ranks are angrier than usual.

Having finished with the sandwich, Alice turned to a small edge by the forest, where homemade gates stood opposite each other. Oh, how bad she is now without football! And who even thought of stopping training during the holidays? This is stupid and unnatural!

Every day the feeling of being worthless in Alice grew stronger. Only sports helped to distract a little from sad thoughts and just chat with friends. She always liked to play in the team and rejoice at every goal scored.

Out of frustration, she kicked her foot on a wooden beam that served as a barbell, and felt that she had not calculated the force of the blow. Howling in pain, the girl galloped on one leg, muttering angrily to herself.

— Just look: the nerd is dancing! You need to take it off on your mobile phone, otherwise no one will believe it.

Someone laughed loudly nearby and in the wake of him there was a playful boyish laugh in several voices. Sashka Bagrov and his friends stood at a distance from Alice and, having nothing to do, propped up the opposite gate with their backs. The girl wanted to leave in silence, but immediately a lump of dried mud flew into her. Alice cried out in pain.

— Where are you going, Cinderella? Did I let you go?

Sashka burst out laughing again.

— Leave me alone, I’m not afraid of you! — the girl pursed her lips in anger.

— Who are you not to be afraid of me? If I had my way, I would have smoked your whole witch family out of Misty. All of you together!

— And why didn’t you? — shouted Alice.

— I was waiting for a chance, — Bagrov grinned. — What am I talking to you? You are a scum of society! An orphan on grandma’s neck! Orphanage beggar, that’s who you are!

Alice herself did not understand what she had done. She grabbed the first stone she came across from the ground and threw it with all her might at the bully. The blow fell right in the face of Bagrov — he howled in pain and, clutching his face with his hands, collapsed into the grass.

Immediately dozens of stones flew to Gromova — the rest of the boys stood up to defend their leader.

She didn’t even have time to scream. Alice sprawled awkwardly on the ground, trying to defend herself against the heavy blows. And the boys continued to rage: none of them stopped, did not want to intercede, help the girl up.

Something crunched in the area of the nose, and Alice’s face quickly became hot with something. But it was not easy to ask the villains for help — they depended too much on Bagrov to go against him.

— Mommy, — broke from Alice’s lips. She felt that she could no longer move.

— Enough, I said! — Bagrov growled at a distance, and the boys obediently returned to their leader. — You’re in luck, orphan! I won’t stop them next time!

The lanky bully looked at Alice lying on the grass with all his hatred, clutching the wound on her head.

— Okay, let’s get out of here, or suddenly her old woman will appear!

The girl raised her head with difficulty and saw how the guy with his bumpy friends was walking calmly towards the houses, laughing and hooting as they walked. Now she was completely sure: these were not people.

Indeed, in a person, even the worst, there is at least a tiny particle of compassion, sympathy and mercy. But these guys were real villains who did not know and did not deserve forgiveness.

The girl sobbed bitterly, burying her face in the grass. Its smell penetrated intoxicatingly into the nostrils, from which the blood continued to flow. Why is all this happening to her? What is she to blame?

Suddenly she remembered her mother — even if not her own, but the one that had always been with her since birth. Alice was sure that if she did not drink, she would not allow all this. No, deep down she certainly loved Alice! Even when she forced her daughter to stand in underground passages and beg for money from passers-by for her drink. Oh, how Alice wanted to go back in time, on that fateful day, and just ask her forgiveness! For all.

They didn’t even say goodbye. When the girl returned home with money for the last time, there were many people in the apartment. However, here and before there were always crowds of people — in the kitchen there were always some strange people, wine flowed like a river, and sometimes it came to a fight.

The girl tried not to appear there. She locked herself all the time in her empty room (her stepfather gave all the furniture to pay off debts) and cried quietly.

But on that fateful day, everything was different.

People in uniform were scurrying everywhere, and the neighbors were actively discussing something in the kitchen. Alice still remembers the terrible cry of her stepfather — a cry of despair and pain. He was led by the arms, and he sobbed and repeated the same words: «It was them! I didn’t kill her! Didn’t kill, I swear to you! I loved her! It’s all a girl! They only needed her!»

«Well, you have to drink to this!» — then one of the policemen quipped. Alice will remember his disgusting voice for the rest of her life.

That’s how she lost her whole family at once.

— Are you alive?

Someone ran up to her and squatted down next to her. It was Anton. He took the girl by the hand and helped her rise from the ground. She felt embarrassed that the boy saw her in such a terrible state. She tried to wipe her face from tears and blood, and then squeezed out a friendly smile:

— Thanks.

— For being late? — Anton raised his eyebrows. «I’m sorry, but if I could use my power normally, nothing would have happened. It was Bagrov, right?

«His friends,» Alice lowered her eyes.

— I’ll go and find them! — Anton jumped to his feet and, with an angry look, was about to set off in pursuit of the villains, but Alice grabbed his hand and did not let him go.

— No, don’t.

— Yes, they are only capable of acting on the sly! Scum! I will teach them a lesson, do not hesitate.

— Don’t, stay, please.

Anton froze in indecision, but after a moment he landed on his haunches next to his friend.

Their gazes met for just a second, but that was enough to realize that what was happening was not just a coincidence. Reality no longer mattered, and the moments seemed to stand still, afraid to frighten off this look. It seemed to Alice that it was Anton who was playing with time — just as cleverly as he had done it last night.

After a prolonged silence, the guy took out a handkerchief from his pocket and, without taking his eyes off Alice, began to gently wipe the traces of wounds from her face.

— You will see, Evdokia will heal everything, she healed not so.

«I don’t want grandma to know.

Alice looked pleadingly at Anton. The man snorted with a grin:

— OK OK. Then I’ll ask my mom. Why didn’t you sit at home?

Alice decided to change the subject of the conversation:

— I think you promised to tell who the eiki are.

Anton looked at her coldly and indifferently, paused for a while, after which he spoke in an undertone:

— Eiki are the first people. Each of us has our own special power that allows us to do the most incredible things.

«Are you saying you’re a wizard?»

— Say the same! — the guy again threw a mocking glance, as if wondering if she should tell her all this. — Do I look like a clown with a stupid hat and a magic wand in my hand? I’m telling you about eiks! For example, I know how to manage time, although I still can’t do much. Another eik is capable of something else.

«Are you a wizard or not?»

Even despite the constant ridicule, Alice was now very grateful to Anton — if only for the fact that in those moments he was with her.

— You know, in my world wizards — or rather, magicians, they call those who rule the castle of Ishgud, — Anton continued his story. «This is a sacred place from where all living things are governed in the Radiance. Magicians are the Highest Eiki who are really capable of such things that people would call magic. Mages do not need spellcasters or any other weapon. True, very few of the Eiks fall into the circle of the elite, that is, they become a magician.

Alice practically did not understand anything from what was said, but continued to listen to him attentively.

— Would you like to become one?

Alice looked into Anton’s impenetrable face, but he did not answer.

«I would like to become an eik,» she sighed sadly. — I would also be able to do something like that. My dad, by the way, is a magician. Probably. My grandmother told me yesterday. True, I didn’t really believe her, of course. But even so, when we meet, I will definitely ask him to teach me something so unusual.

For one instant Anton turned noticeably pale, but immediately came to his senses and held out his hand to Alice:

— Okay, let’s go. I need to show you to mom. I promise she won’t tell Evdokia anything!

The rest of the day was rather boring. After a short visit to a neighbor (she prepared a herbal compress for Alice and there was no trace of the morning incident on her face), the girl sat in a field, among an ocean of daisies, and thought for a long time about what was happening. Fortunately, there was no one nearby — not even Anton, and she could calmly surrender to her thoughts.

Everything was so complicated and completely incomprehensible! One part of her secretly dreamed that she had a real father, and even a wizard who could turn all her offenders into some kind of frog. But another part of the soul fiercely resisted even thinking about magic, brownies, inexplicable dwarves, eikas and the like. She had no place surrounded by peers just because of her oddities and eccentricities. But could curiosity and kindness be called that? Although, of course, she herself often caught herself thinking that she possessed some kind of supernatural powers. For example, getting involved in trouble.

Alice looked into the distance for a long time, from where the outlines of Aleksinsk could be seen, and was silent. She remembered about the extravaganzas who talked to her in the very place where she was now. Is this still a dream? «Please, let it be him!» she thought in her hearts.

The girl returned to the memories of her mother again. She missed her so much! And even though the grandmother was now always there, she would never and for nothing in the world could replace Alice’s mother.

Sad thoughts did not have time to take possession of her mind. The girl clearly discerned a woman’s face in the clouds floating above the forest. Earlier, of course, she had already met snow-white figures in the form of animals and ugly birds, but so that her face, and even so distinct! But this was far from confusing Alice. It suddenly seemed to her that she had already seen this amazing lady somewhere. And the strangest thing: the cloudy face, as if alive, looked at the girl and smiled affably.

Alice returned home when it was already pretty dark. Grandma, as always, rattled dishes in the kitchen, and chatted about something with Aunt Sveta. For a split second, Alice thought that her neighbor was telling her about what had happened in the morning on the football field. But no — the conversation was about some Ardamir. The girl crept cautiously to the kitchen and put her ear to the gap between the door and the doorway.

«I don’t think she could interfere with us,» my grandmother said in a casual tone. — But still it is worth warning Elaine not to be frank with her.

— And what about Alice? How should she be? — Aunt Sveta’s voice seemed to the girl a little worried. Who knows, maybe she was worried about Anton again?

«Alice is a strong girl,» the old woman said after a short thought. Now she spoke very quietly, which caused Alice herself to strain her ears. — Do not think that I am less worried than you, Light. Ultimately, however, it is of no interest to Prodmir and the Observers.

— And what about the flower of Ardamir?

«Elaina will take care of it,» my grandmother said in an everyday tone. — As we planned.

«What if she’s not the only heiress?»

«Don’t talk nonsense, Sveta,» the old woman snapped. «You yourself are well aware of the Law of Inheritance. Moreover, Alice does not have a fire code, and this is direct proof that she is a dummy.

The girl was at a loss: she had never heard her grandmother say so about her.

— And yet it is worth telling her about the color of ardamir, — insisted on her aunt Sveta. «At least she will have a chance to escape. And then: what if she did find him? Maybe you shouldn’t leave Foggy so quickly?

— There is no more time, Sveta, — Evdokia sighed. — Fog enveloped our city. This means that the Radiance is already here. Just think: they found us after so many years! Yesterday I saw with my own eyes a couple of Faceless people near Aleksinsk.

The girl pressed her ear to the door so hard that she didn’t notice how she clumsily stumbled into the kitchen again. Grandma and Aunt Sveta pretended to be discussing something incredibly boring.

— Ah, Alisonka, but I really thought that something happened to you again! Sit down at the table quickly, Svetlana and I have already had dinner.

Evdokia instantly rushed to the stove and began to put a huge portion of mashed potatoes into a plate. It seems that Aunt Sveta never told her what happened during the day, for which Alice was grateful to her. But what were they talking about now?

— Grandma, I was just walking past the kitchen and accidentally heard…

— What? — Evdokia froze warily in place. — What did you hear?

— Well, about the fact that we have to leave.

Alice was determined not to talk about everything else. Grandmother tried to speak quietly and calmly:

— Yes, Alisonka, that’s right. We will move to another house tomorrow. Although not as cozy as this one, you can still live in it. By the way, he is on the seashore, as you dreamed. You know, don’t forget about what happened to you recently. It’s not safe for us to be here.

— Will we come back here?

«I don’t think it’s right, Aliska,» Aunt Sveta interrupted the conversation. — At least for now. Don’t worry: Antoshka and I will visit you often. Or maybe we’ll get over to you.

— Aunt Light, may I ask? Are you an eik too, like Anton?

Alice noticed how the grandmother and her neighbor exchanged intense glances.

— No, Aliska, I’m not an eik, — answered Svetlana. — Or rather, once upon a time, of course… But this does not mean that Anton cannot be one. It is hard to explain. Yes, and it’s time for me.

Aunt Sveta abruptly jumped out from the table, ruffled the hair on Alice’s head and quickly walked towards the exit:

— Anton is with Erema now, it will be too late. Okay, see you again!

— You finish eating, Alisonka, but go to bed. The time is already late, and we are on the road tomorrow.

After seeing off the young neighbor, the grandmother affectionately hugged Alice by the shoulders and sighed heavily. The girl simply could not take offense at her. She was once again convinced that this was the main person in her life, who really needed her.

Until the end of the day, as promised by the red-haired Svetlana, Anton did not appear in the village. Alice now and then went out into the yard and stared at the neighboring house. But there was no light in its windows. The girl even got the impression that no one lives in it at all — it seemed so empty and lifeless among the rest of the buildings.

The girl spent the whole evening at a laptop, trying to write a letter to Dimka Filippov, the captain of her football team. But nothing came of it: the words were confused, and what could you write to the best guy on the planet? It’s much easier to freeze some stupidity and regret it for the rest of your life. Previously, they always exchanged training schedules and discussed past games. But now, far from football, it was very difficult to write about anything. Moreover, they did not talk about anything other than sports.

Summer twilight again enveloped the village in thick, impenetrable Mist. At night, before going to bed, Alice opened the window to hear when Anton would return from Yerema. Will he only hear? She remembered her recent adventures in the forest and now she knew for sure that where there is magic, there is no power in human hearing. The girl rested her head on the pillow and began to study how the wind tugs at the cobwebs between the window frames.

— Get out!

Someone pushed Alice aside with force, and she fell to the bloody ground.

There was a battle all around. Here and there the thunder of blades clasped in battle was heard. The whole plain was covered with fallen soldiers.

— What have you forgotten here?

Someone tall and strong grabbed her and pulled her away from the nearest boulder. He was a handsome, fit man with long blond hair in a ponytail.

— You should not be here, this is not your way! he shouted, frightened and at the same time furious. — Not yours, do you hear?

— Yes, but who are you? What’s happening?

Alice drew attention to his strange scar along his cheek — in the form of some signs. Something like a date written down with fancy sticks and hooks.

— You can’t stop me! I’ve already decided everything! Now, please, get up and go! Save yourself! Standing up…

Something whistled nearby, and the man collapsed to the ground in shock, continuing to whisper to the girl:

— Get up, Elaina! Get up, go away! Get up now!

Tears rolled down the man’s cheeks. Alice opened her eyes sharply.

— Get up, I tell you!

Vaska the cat was sitting on the windowsill and looked at Alice with curiosity. She was shaking all over.

— Breakfast is already on the table, Simila. I’m not going to warm up several times.

— My name is Alice! Alice! It’s time to remember already, «she snapped and, feeling with her feet for the slippers near the bed, she darted into the kitchen with a bullet.

— Just think! — the cat mimicked and, showing her tongue, immediately disappeared into space.

The grandmother was not in the house. After breakfast, Alice, as usual, went to the barn to milk the cow. But before she had time to go out into the courtyard, on the threshold of the house she met face to face with the decrepit neighbor Antonina. She looked out of breath, an obvious panic froze on her face.

— Where is Duska? Where is she? She is at home?

«I don’t know, I haven’t seen her yet,» replied Alice. — We seem to be moving today. Maybe she went to get tickets?

— Where is Vasilus? — Antonina in panic began to look around the interior of the house. — VASILUS!!!

— Who? — Alice raised her eyebrows in confusion.

— What happened? — A rumbled voice rang out, and a brownie cat appeared on the threshold.

— They are already here, Vasilus! — Antonina whined in a trembling voice. — Guardians of the shadows at the House of Crimson! I’m afraid the boy has betrayed us. They are already here! Oh, what will happen?

The cat said nothing and disappeared again. A few moments passed, as Evdokia waddling was heard from the direction of the garden. Vaska, it seems, warned her about the visit of a neighbor.

— I don’t understand! How did this happen? — She threw anxiously to Antonina, hurrying into the house. She, along with Alice, followed. — The village is guarded by extravaganzas! Unless… No, it’s not possible.

— Oh, I don’t know, Duska! Oh, I don’t know!

Antonina minced after Evdokia, holding on to her lower back and groaning as she walked. The cat also raced after the mistress of the house. Everyone headed to the kitchen.

— As for evil, Sveta is now in Ishgud, — Evdokia muttered anxiously, grabbing a jug of milk from the table. — We must warn her.

She quickly walked over to the cat’s bowl on the floor and poured milk into it:

— Vaska, your turn.

The cat, wagging its tail, jumped to the treat and tasted a little from the saucer. Circles appeared on the milk, which smoothly began to turn into the outlines of Aunt Sveta’s face. Evdokia hung her head over the surface of the milk and said loudly:

— Sveta, come back! The guards are already in the village! I’m afraid Prodmir is here too.

— Okay, I’ll be right there, — answered the face in the saucer and immediately disappeared.

But before Evdokia had time to say something else, the cries of the villagers began to be heard outside the window. Alice ran to the windowsill and could not contain the horror that got to her throat: almost all the houses of the Misty were engulfed in a huge flame, and among the scarlet tongues of fire strange people in dark cloaks in the manner of medieval robes were quietly walking. A tall, tall man walked in the center, diligently trying to hide his face under the hood. He laughed as he watched frightened people run out of burning houses.

— Go away! Take Alice away! Come on!

Antonina reacted to Evdokia’s order instantly: she sharply grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her along. But she, having contrived, freed herself from the grip.

— No, grandma, no! I will stay with you!

— Leave for heaven’s sake, I’ll hold them! Vaska, go with them, it will be calmer for me.

Antonina grabbed Alice’s hand again. The girl wanted to break free, but her grandmother’s pleading look made her obey.

There was a knock on the door. The old woman exchanged glances with the brownie cat and, without hesitation, hurried to meet the uninvited guests. Antonina and Alice followed alongside.

— Who’s there? — Evdokia said with a challenge.

— Relatives! — stretched out a cold male voice, and on the threshold someone laughed loudly. It looks like the whole group of people in raincoats were standing in front of the house.

— You are mistaken, I have no relatives for a long time, — Evdokia answered. Alice felt Antonina’s hand tighten on her wrist even more.

— And what about your own son? Or did the mother’s heart become stale over the years of separation?

«My son would not have come to me to kill,» Grandmother replied fearlessly.

A chilling cold washed over Alice when she realized who was speaking on the other side of the door.

— The girl is here. Come in! — there was an order, but Evdokia reacted faster. She brought her palms to the door and, at the same second, she fell off the hinges and, like a cork, flew out into the yard, scattering the Guardians of the shadows around.

— Go away! — the old woman gave the order to the cat and the decrepit neighbor, collecting air with her hands on the fly.

In the courtyard of the house, out of nowhere, a whirlwind arose, which immediately rushed at the arsonists. They wanted to do something, but the wind threw them to a considerable distance, convenient for Alice and her escort to escape. Those, without delay, rushed towards the forest.

Aunt Sveta arrived in time. She threw up her hands to the sky and a wall of bright light appeared in front of the sprawling magicians on the ground.

— WILL NOT WORK!!!

Svetlana and Evdokia were abruptly thrown to the ground, and their spell instantly disappeared. Before the women stood a bald man with a scar on his cheek in the form of three circles folded one into one, and smiled triumphantly.

— Stop, Prodmir, — Evdokia whispered, getting to her feet. — Otherwise, I’ll make you do it myself!

«I don’t need you,» he said in a bored voice. — I’m interested in the girl. This morning I saw the Lunar Trail — I must say, very impressive for an undeserved heir!

— Trace? — Alice noticed how the grandmother froze in place — either from fright, or from shock. — It can’t be!

— Exactly! — Prodmir mockingly responded. — And, by the way, he was going to your precious house, to your loving Misty! How careless for the Guardian!

— You like my village, then? Well, you can stay in it forever!

The old woman made a barely noticeable movement with her hand, and the cherries standing in her garden immediately came to life and rushed to Prodmir. People in raincoats also rushed to the attack, but met with a wall of light, which was created by the red-haired lady.

Prodmir was furious. Suddenly, all the fire that engulfed the village began to gather in front of him. Another gesture, a mad, frightening cry, and hellish flames rushed at their victims, destroying everything in its path, leaving nothing alive behind.

Alice screamed, observing what was happening from afar, but her grandmother still managed to make a barely perceptible wave of her hand, as if drawing air into her palm. And again in front of her, at the moment when there was no longer any hope of salvation, a furious tornado arose. He began to grow more and more, driving away tongues of insane flame from his bosom friends-neighbors.

The girl was numb for a moment, trying to examine the outlines of her father’s face — stern, not knowing fear and mercy. But she also discerned a strange emotion in them. For a split second, she had a crazy idea in her head to go up to him and say something like «Hi, Dad!» How she dreamed about it, especially when she lived with her alcoholic stepfather! But Antonina pulled the girl forward with force — she had to leave.

The force of the elements was great. The tornado pulled out trees, fence boards from the ground, and then began to lift up the burning houses in the neighborhood to the sky. Fortunately, the people who lived in them have already managed to run away.

Alice’s grandmother was no longer some crazy old woman. In those seconds she was Evdokia Gromova — the master of the all-destructive wind. Her whole appearance inspired fear and enormous, simply inhuman strength.

Alice refused to believe what was happening.

Prodmir could not cope with the wind madness. The fire that he sent into the attack completely dried up, making him feel weak for the first time in so long. It seemed that now everything Foggy was floating in the air on the orders of one single elderly lady.

To equalize the forces, Prodmir quickly snapped his fingers, and from the ground — right in front of the fighting — two huge stone monsters appeared, similar to the trolls from fairy tales. But Evdokia here, too, was ahead of him: one of the houses soaring in the tornado instantly rushed towards the attacker, plunging him and the monsters he created under a pile of wooden debris.

Alice looked back all the time. She saw what was happening, but could not do anything to help grandmother and aunt Sveta. Vaska the cat, or as the adults called him — Vasilus, ran ahead, every now and then, looking around. The grumpy Antonina hobbled behind.

— Here, here, on a stitch! — she commanded, waving in the direction of a small path leading into the forest.

— Alice! Alice! Wait! Wait for me!

Anton rushed after them. He looked a little shabby and scared.

— Mom told me to go with Alice. I will show her the way to Erema!

— To Erema? the girl asked. What a joy — she did not think that she would have to meet this disgusting monster again.

— Yes. He must meet us near the Double Passage, — reported Anton.

— Not so fast!

Antonina gasped: right in front of them, out of nowhere, two thugs appeared. Alice immediately recognized them — it was Sulmedir and Fat Man who attacked her on the bus.

— Run! — Vasilus yelled in all the cat’s throat and immediately turned into a short bald man, in whom Alice immediately recognized… the headmaster of her school! It was so unexpected that the girl involuntarily screamed.

— Go away! — shouted Antonina, with a simple gesture of her hand, creating a huge barrier in front of the enemies from, out of nowhere, water that appeared.

Anton seemed to know what to do. He gripped Alice’s hand tightly in his hand, and time instantly stopped around. Antonina, Vasilus the brownie-director, Sulmedir and the Fat Man — they all froze in warlike poses, as if they were simple sculptures. Anton, on the other hand, did not admire this and pulled his friend with force towards the forest path:

— Hurry! I can’t hold on to time forever!

— But how are they? What about grandmother and aunt Sveta?

— Nothing will happen to them. Especially with your grandmother and my mom.

Anton looked seriously at Alice and immediately smiled back at her.

The girl took one last look at what had once been her home and reluctantly followed the boy. She was overcome by a growing fear with every step — that she would never see her grandmother again in her life.

Chapter 7 «Fog»

— It seems they are behind.

Anton kept looking back for fear of being chased. The idea of going into the forest seemed to Alice an incredible folly. What if some animal attacks them? What can two unarmed schoolchildren do against him? But Anton didn’t seem to be afraid at all.

The path led them further into the forest, twisting from side to side. The post-dinner stuffiness was intoxicating to the mosquitoes, which tried to bite first in the arm, then in the neck, then in the cheek. There were no birds, but along the bushes someone was moving cautiously on small paws.

Alice could not fully comprehend what had happened a couple of hours ago. The world that she always knew was turned upside down in an instant.

— So where are we going? — She asked once again, walking tiredly after Anton.

— How long can you talk? To the Double Transition!

— I often went here with my grandmother, but I don’t know about any transition!

— I won’t be surprised that you haven’t heard anything about the Shining either! — he grunted.

— About what?

Alice stopped, uncomprehendingly peering into the malicious grin of her companion. He turned around and looked uncertainly at her with his bottomless blue eyes. For the first time, he looked disappointed — he still seemed to hope that Alice knew something about what was happening.

«About the Radiance,» he repeated, confused. — Do you really know nothing?

The girl’s ears flamed treacherously, and she averted her eyes:

— What do you think I should know absolutely everything about your Eik’s nonsense?

— Shining is a country, actually. Our country with you.

Anton was shocked to the core. For some reason it seemed to him that she should have known about the Shining. He plunged his fingers into his carelessly protruding hair and sighed heavily.

— Well, yes, — Alice rolled her eyes. — I am thirteen years old, for your information. Am I an idiot? What other country in the middle of our wilderness?!

— This is a big country, — Anton frowned, his voice acquired the usual mocking and mocking notes. «You don’t know that! Mom told me that the Shining was everywhere before. All people were once residents of this great country. You are from there too.

— Excellent! — Alice ironically clapped her hands. She did not really know whether to believe this boy or not. — This is not enough for me! Come on, Alice from Wonderland! And me, you know what? — She suddenly stopped abruptly and grabbed the sleeve of Anton’s shirt — so much so that he almost fell. — I DON’T WANT TO BE SUCH ALICE!!!! Do you understand?

— We’ve already heard.

Anton somehow escaped the grip and, just in case, walked away from his girlfriend at a safe distance:

«Do you think it gives me pleasure to trudge with you? I only went because my mother asked. I have a lot to do at home without you. Although, now, probably, the house is no longer there…

The girl instantly changed her anger to sympathy:

— And how will you come back now?

«I’m not coming back,» he snapped, and without saying another word, he confidently walked forward.

Alice had no choice but to continue her journey into the unknown. After all, staying alone in the forest is far from the best option.

The road was still stretching somewhere into the distance. Incredibly, just a couple of hours ago, our heroine calmly basked in her bed and listened to the wind. All this serenity now seemed like a distant dream. Anton walked silently ahead, apparently not wanting to talk to her.

«You know, actually I was born in Aleksinsk,» Alice spoke first. — My parents were good people. Travelers. They even talked about them on TV! But when my father left us, my mother started drinking. And her stepfather did not refuse her. You are sorry that I reacted so, I just do not think that I was born in this your Shining. Maybe Aunt Sveta got it wrong or you misunderstood her?

Anton did not answer. The girl thought he was still sulking at her. Or maybe he really doesn’t want to talk. Without waiting for an answer, she kicked, in annoyance, a pine cone lying in the way and, also without uttering a word, continued to walk forward.

It was late afternoon. Friends knew very well about the inevitability of a halt, but for some reason they were in no hurry to look for a suitable place to rest. The thought that she would have to spend the night far from home, in a deep and dangerous forest, threw Alice into chills. The sun was no longer so beaming — it was replaced by the evening chill. But the mosquitoes did not calm down — as evening approached, they became angrier than before.

Finally, Anton offered to stop and have something to eat. In this Alice was completely in solidarity with him. True, in a hurry she did not have time to take anything with her. Anton, as if realizing her fears, told her to stay and wait for him, and he pulled out the most ordinary slingshot from his bosom and wandered off to the side, muttering something to himself.

Here are those on — took and threw her, one in the middle of the forest! The girl wanted to catch up with him and scold him for such a vile act, but changed her mind. At that very moment, a rustle was heard behind the bushes, and if Alice had not been so excited and surprised by what was happening, she would certainly have screamed at the whole forest. A dazzling ball of light approached her, turning into a bulky door.

The girl rubbed her eyes and, just in case, pinched her hand. No, all this actually happened. The door swam slowly towards her and stopped a few steps away.

Curiosity turned out to be so strong that neither fear, nor the experience of previous encounters with the inexplicable, could not make her pull her hand…

The door did not give way right away — something clinked and bounced off the other side. Alice really almost screamed in surprise: on the threshold stood a tall blonde woman in an incredibly beautiful, possibly royal, dress. The girl immediately recognized who it was — it was her face that she had seen the day before in the form of a cloud.

The lady was just beaming with happiness. Her hair, which curled almost to her chest, resembled waves caressed by the wind. She seemed so perfect that she could only be the queen or queen of some amazing state. It may well be that even the very Radiance, about which Anton crucified for so long. The woman looked attentively at the little runaway, but was in no hurry to cross the threshold of the shining door.

— Who you are? — Alice said, spellbound.

«My name is Esiriya,» the woman’s velvet voice finally captivated the amazed girl. — I do not want outsiders to know about our meeting.

«W-x-good,» Alice nodded.

«If others understand that I was here, there will be trouble,» Esiriya said in a half-whisper. — But I so wanted to see you — alive and well.

— Do we know you?

Esiriya didn’t answer, only gave the girl a mysterious smile. So she stood — just looking at Alice, smiling and barely holding back tears. After some time, a crack was heard from the direction Anton had gone to, and Esiria was alert.

— I have to go, my dear Simila. But if you suddenly need help, you just have to call my name at a crossroads. Do not hesitate — the wind will carry your message to me. I will definitely come to you, remember this!

The woman looked sadly at Alice and smiled at her again. There were so many charming things in Esiria, so much something near and dear, that the girl did not know what to say to her. The mysterious door instantly closed, again turning into a huge ball of light. He began to move away from the girl, until he completely disappeared among the mighty trunks of pine trees. Just in time — a breathless figure of Anton appeared from the opposite side of the forest. In his hand was a couple of mushrooms and a small bunch of wild strawberries.

«That’s all there was,» his frustrated voice brought Alice back to reality a little. — Nothing more edible was found.

— Tell me, why does everyone call me Simila?

Alice was still trying to find the right definition for what she now feels in her soul.

— Because it’s your name! — the boy’s usual mood returned threefold. — You could have guessed, since you are the daughter of a great magician!

— But I…

— I know I know! You are Al-i-i-i-sa. Already passed.

Anton pronounced her name in such a lengthy and funny way that the girl almost laughed at it. Everything in her soul was so mixed up that she really wanted to flop down somewhere and not think about anything else.

— Eat, we have a long way to go!

Anton handed her a bouquet of strawberries and, not hiding the usual grin on his face, began to watch her greedily devouring berries. Whatever one may say, the girl didn’t even eat today.

— I saw the light when I walked here, — softening his voice, he reported, looking suspiciously into the face of his companion. — I thought we were being chased. Have you seen anything?

«No,» Alice lied for some reason. She remembered that Esiriya had forbidden anyone to tell about their meeting. But whether it was possible to tell Anton, she did not ask.

The guy pretended to believe her:

— Okay, let’s go. Let’s take these mushrooms with us, maybe we’ll find some more along the way. There should be a pond nearby. We will stay at his place for the night.

— Have you already been here?

— I had to, — for the first time in so much time Anton smiled — sly, good-naturedly and all the same mockingly. — In between lessons in class for the «especially gifted».

With the fingers of two hands, he marked quotation marks in the air and, turning around, with a contented air walked briskly along the path. Pounded to the core, Alice followed him, wondering how to teach this boy a lesson.

Our heroes again walked among the darkening forest, towards the dangers that lurked them. And they, the dangers, certainly had to appear, Alice had no doubt about it. The night in the forest cannot pass without a trace. And then, she was terribly hungry, and a couple of swallowed berries only whetted her appetite.

Anton was silent all the time, and Alice was so tired of this passion. She began to bombard her attendant with various questions, but he only limited himself to a mean «yes» or «no».

— And why have I never heard of her? she complained, expecting Anton to join the conversation. — Is she here, not far?

The guy looked thoughtfully somewhere ahead for some time, after which he nevertheless spoke:

— The Shining is a wandering country. Today she is here, tomorrow she may appear in another part of the world. She wanders alone all over the world, stopping where there are most unhappy people.

— And why is that?

— It’s all about the Fog! He, like a shield, hides the radiance from the outside world. Can you imagine how much energy it takes to cover an entire country? The Great Mist constantly needs recharge. And there is nothing stronger than the suffering of people, their black thoughts, their nightmares, everything bad that is in their souls.

Anton stopped and looked closely at his friend.

— Despite the fact that the Shining is an amazing and powerful country, it is still a cursed place. For many reasons. This is true, by the way.

— So Shining is in Aleksinsk now?

— Right, — Anton grinned. — And you catch it on the fly!

«I don’t understand,» the girl was lost in her own thoughts. — But how is this possible?

— It’s all Fog! — Anton said meaningfully. — Okay, tomorrow you will see everything yourself.

Soon the sun completely disappeared behind the edge of the forest, handing over the reins of the impending night. As Anton had foreseen, they went to a small forest lake, covered with water lilies, and decided to arrange a lodging for the night right on its shore.

The light of the moon, which appeared in the sky, pierced the surface of the lake and slowly, with a breeze, began to swing the wave. Alice, of course, had no particular desire to stay in this strange and rather eerie place, but the desire to rest prevailed over her reason.

There were no problems with food. Having built a kind of fishing rod out of a pocket from a maple branch and carnations, Anton managed to catch a dozen small crucians in the lake in an hour. Soon a bonfire arose on the shore, and the friends were able to enjoy freshly prepared fish shashliks.

Despite their well-fed dinner and sticking eyes, they sat opposite the crackling fire and admired the surface of the water, which reflected the remnants of the sunset.

«Mom asked me to tell you,» Anton said reluctantly. He nervously threw dry branches into the fire and became even more serious and gloomy. «She’s sure it will save you from your father.

— And what is it?

— Flower of Ardamir. Honestly, I don’t think it exists, but it’s my job to hand it over to you.

— And why is that? — Alice stared at her friend with interest.

— You ask a lot of questions, Alisa Gromova! — Anton looked angrily at the girl and immediately dropped his eyes. After a slight pause, he continued: — There is a legend that this flower was planted by Ardamir himself — the great enlightened one who was the first ruler and, according to some sources, even the creator of the Radiance. It is believed that the one who picks his flower and begins to keep it with himself will never die and will be protected even from the most powerful magician on Earth and the Moon.

— To the moon? Also say that there are eiks there too! Alice chuckled.

— Maybe they are found, — the guy frowned. — It’s just a legend, few people believe in it! Even in the Shining. For millions of years, none of the shiners have ever met the color of ardamir. But mom told me to tell you about him, because she believes that he can protect you from Prodmir Gromov.

The unexpected silence was diluted with musical opuses of grasshoppers.

— Call me Simila if you want. I will not be offended. Honestly, — Alice winked at Anton, suppressing a yawn. — Really, I don’t know why it suddenly became my real name?

«These are Siyansk names,» Anton said quietly, looking thoughtfully into the flames. «I don’t know why. Personally, I like my human name. But in the Shining, my name is Lotto. To be honest, I’m afraid to ask my mom about it. I still can’t get used to the fact that she is not my own.

— In terms of? Why? — Alice widened her eyes in surprise. She suddenly found herself thinking similar thoughts had once crossed her mind about her grandmother.

— As if you don’t know yourself! — the guy sniffed and began to stir up the fire falling asleep in the fire with a rod. — We were together in the orphanage.

Alice felt herself sinking into the ground. The memories, which she had tried so hard to avoid, rolled over to her again, making the girl suddenly uneasy. But that wasn’t what bothered her now. Until recently, she had never met Anton before. Especially in the orphanage.

— I’m sorry, but are you from there too? — she tried to quickly remove unpleasant thoughts from her head. — It seemed to me that eiks do not end up in orphanages.

— Well, yes, and they also do not fish and do not sleep at night.

Alice laughed. Anton only pretended that he was having fun. All this noise unwittingly scared the frogs dozing by the reeds.

«You don’t remember me at all, do you? — after a short silence asked Anton. The girl shrugged hesitantly. — Mom said that it happens. We were only four years old then. By the way, we were in the same group. Don’t you remember?

— No, probably…

Alice was completely confused. In fact, she clearly remembered those days, but she just could not find Anton in the bins of her memory.

«You know, I wasn’t there long,» the girl forced herself to talk about it with difficulty. — My grandmother took me when I was caught…

— And she said that you do not remember! — Anton noticeably cheered up. — We were taken together! You are grandmother, and me is my mother. You and I sat at the window all night and chatted about something. We swore that we would always be together — for sure, I remembered! It was still raining heavily! And now, will you say that this was not?