Rescue of Araklia. Игорь Владимирович Княгницкий

      – Enilice, how long do we have to ride? I'm tired of the horse. Can we make a stop?

      – Sorry, not right now.

      The elf understood it was hard for her. And like that will be for a very long time. But he was following the magical track of the doppelganger, and he couldn't stop now. And there was no appropriate place. They rode across the Plains – there was an open space all around. However, they needed a break. They both hadn`t a rest since they left Izemburn and horse needed a rest as well. Enilice kept moving to the North-west. His hunch was correct – Doppelganger moved straight to Pleepmorr. It was a full day journey to that place. With a sensible assessment of the physical capabilities of his small squad he turned to the North-east. Alice of course noticed this immediately.

      – Did you lose the track? Or have our plans changed? – She turned and looked at him straight in his eye in surprise.

      – Neither. There's an abandoned village about half an hour from here. We'll make a stop there. As I expected, our thief moves straight to Pleepmorr. It`s still full day journey to that place. Alone, I would have been able to cover that distance and catch him up somewhere in the area of the city. But you need to rest. And the horse, too. I really didn't want. But it looks like we'll have to continue our chase of the key in Pleepmorr.

      – What's so bad about this city?

      – This is the city of the dregs of our world. Once upon a time, it was one of the trading cities. Very beautiful and rich. But after the capture of Eraqel and wars which was followed later, city was half-ruined and completely looted. Later on, bandits, assassins, thieves, illegal traders and “stooge” of dark magicians settled there. Those who renounced their native roots in the hope of unlimited power, which Dark Magicians promised them. But when the wars ends and Dark Mages went to find the key in other worlds, they just threw them away like garbage.

      – I see. So the trade is still there?

      – Yes, but this is not the same trade that was before. Now there are a lot of prohibited goods there.

      – Like what?

      – For example, forbidden alchemic ingredients, poisons, artifacts. In general, everything which is came to Araklia with arrival of the Naabs and remained after the wars with the dark magicians. We're almost got it. Alice, take a look – Enilice said, raising a hand to point ahead.

      Half a mile away, buildings began to appear behind a small hill. They dismounted at the central gate, which had been destroyed long time ago. Alice was immediately struck by what she saw. The massive log gate was turned inward, though it opened and closed outward.

      – How is that possible? – She asked her companion, pointing at the gate – You don't have any tanks or rocket launchers, do you?

      Enilice looked at her in surprise.

      – Honestly, I do not understand what you are talking about, but answering your question, I can say most likely it was one of the spells of the dark magicians. Okay, let's go find more or less good house to stay.

      Alice said nothing, but followed the elf tiredly. They went into a small paved square which has three small streets in the left, right and straight direction. On the square, for the very first time in her life, she saw human skeletons felt terrible. Skeletons, bones, skulls, long-rusted swords, shields, spears. Involuntarily, she snuggled up to Enilice and took his hand.

      – Don't be afraid. There's been no one here for a long time. The view is certainly gloomy, but there is nothing we can do about it.

      The path along the main street was blocked by the stones of the destroyed tower, where once was a signal bell.

      – Let's go to the right. That street looks better.

      It was a medium-sized street with alternating one-and two-story buildings. Some of them were made of logs, rough-hewn round wood, dilapidated or burned almost to the ground, but most were of stone. They mostly survived. And even though Enilice said "better," Alice didn't think so at all. Also, there were parts of skeletons, rusty weapons, some torn rags, kitchen utensils, and a lot of other rubbish. Passing by another dilapidated wooden house with an open door, Alice noticed by the corner of her eye something shiny inside. She decided to satisfy her curiosity and see what that was.

      – Alice, let's move on. This is not the best one – voice came from the street as the girl went inside.

      Directly opposite the entrance, something was covered with an old baggy cloth which protruded a silver-handled spear. Alice took the edge of the cloth and threw it aside. It was a long-dried-up skeleton in a ragged jacket and a ragged dress. Apparently, a woman who was killed with a spear from the back. She was sitting on her knees, as if covering something with her body. Alice took the skeleton by the shoulder and pulled it towards her. The rotten spear broke at its base and the skeleton toppled over on its side. A large skeleton clutching another one, quite small in a half-rotted shirt and dress. In the hand was a toy of a homemade teddy bear. The spear broke where the baby`s stomach had been. Alice covered her face with her hands and didn`t cry, but sobbed wildly, slowly stepping back. She was crying so loud and so shrill, as if it was her own grief. After a couple of steps, she bumped into Enilice, who was standing silently behind her. She turned, looked at him with eyes were streaming with tears, and still sobbing, she fell on his chest. He put his arm around her. For at least the next five minutes, Alice sobbed and couldn't stop. But soon the warm embrace of the elf bore fruit and Alice was able to squeeze out from herself:

      – W..w..what kind of m..m..m..monster would d..d..do such a thing?

      Enilice