Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 19

Chapter 19. "The Moon's Eye"

Camrad_RIP 27.06.23 в 19:30

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Camrad_RIP 27.06.23 в 19:30

The studio was almost empty, with the three main objects arranged in a triangle, dividing the space into equal segments. An easel, a sofa, and a mirror. Everything was clear with the sofa. Judging by its shape and disposition, it was supposed to hold a drawing model. And it was not to sit down vulgarly but to place it in a free, refined position. One might even say, stirring the imagination.

Camrad_RIP 27.06.23 в 19:47

An easel... It was very different from what Elena was used to, but it was clearly an easel. On a high, thin leg stood a rectangular almost square frame enclosed in a bronze circle with hooks. To all appearances, these hooks, in the form of silvered claws, were used to hang some kind of artistic device. The structure looked as did everything in the house, strange and unfamiliar but at the same time recognizable and functional. Without the pretentiousness typical for bad decorators of cheap movies. This thing was created based on some ideas of convenience and practicality, but the ideas were sensible, and the easel was used often. The canvas on the frame was turned away from Elena, and the foreman was looking at it.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:26

Lena estimated that judging by the height of the frame and the inclination of Santelli's head, the artist of bygone times might have been taller than the visitor from the alien world, six feet, if not more. For some reason, it seemed at once that it was the woman. There were no individual items like jewelry, clothing, or other accessories preserved in the studio, and yet ... There was no way a man could have arranged everything exactly like that. A woman worked here, and the room under the glass pyramid, decorated with red and white stone and dark, almost black wood, belonged only to her, no one else.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:28

And the smell... Or rather, the elusive shadow of scent... It was as if year after year the landlady had come up here, lightly touching behind her ears with the cork of her favorite perfume. The weightless scent permeated every panel, unobtrusively and at the same time reliably so that even the stench of well-seasoned and decomposed urine seemed to recede and lose its sharpness.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:29

// Lilacs and gooseberries... She wonders what they really smell like. Maybe that's exactly what they smell like?

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:30

Lena stepped forward and to the side to see the picture, but Santeli had already covered her with the coverlet torn from the elegant sofa. At that, he looked at the healer angrily as if she had broken some important rule.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:32

The mirror remained a rectangular, floor-standing mirror in a simple, unadorned frame. And it seemed that the surface was not glass but rather some kind of polished metal. A repeating pattern, a coat of arms or branding, ran along the entire perimeter of the black frame-an arrow, an eight-pointed star, and a moon sickle inscribed in a diamond and turned upside down with its horns.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:33

"Good, good," Biso rubbed his palms, which were oozing with acrid sweat. Despite his apparent success, the alchemist was literally shaking with nervous excitement, as if the most interesting and difficult thing was to come.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:34

"Suggestions?" asked Santeli curtly to everyone at the same time, apparently performing some sort of ritual.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:35

The mirror... Lena looked closely and realized that nothing was reflected in the rectangle. It was impossible to describe it in words - the mirror seemed ordinary, with all the attributes of a mirror ... and at the same time, it looked at the world with an empty lens of polish. Lena mechanically stretched out her hand and touched the frame with her fingertips.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:38

"Don't touch!" Biso's shriek literally tossed her aside. The alchemist yelled so loudly that the echo of his cry began to echo through the house, echoing in the empty rooms beneath the high vaults.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:40

Biso tossed the girl aside with unexpected force so that she almost ran into the Valkyries' ahlspis. Hurriedly he pulled a nearly clean handkerchief from beneath his robe and carefully wiped the wood where Lena's hand had touched the surface. The alchemist's fright was not feigned; the healer had done something extremely bad.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:41

"I think it's all right," muttered Biso, peering into the work of his hands. And he growled menacingly. "Don't you ever do that again! It's the Eye!"

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:42

Lena had no idea what an "Eye" was and with an obvious capital letter. But Charley seemed to know, so he nodded understandingly but without much judgment in his gaze.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:43

"So," Santelli put the axe on the couch, forming a highly artistic installation of high with low, peaceful with the military. He clapped his hands sharply. "One more time and fast, the sun is setting. Suggestions!"

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:44

"We'll have to spend the night here," Biso calmed down and made the most obvious point. "We mustn't split up. We'll gut everything tomorrow morning."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:45

"There's something to take," Zilber interjected, scratching his sideburns with one hand. The other kept the weapon with the arrow in its bowstring.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:56

"It seems convenient here. You can enter only by the stairs," suggested Einar, and immediately hesitated, critically looking up.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:58

"But the glass one here..." also hesitated Zilber.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 16:59

It's very easy for a Winger to get in through it," Shena agreed.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:05

"And the light will be visible," the alchemist muttered, wiping the mirror frame once more. "The whole neighborhood will come out to check the light."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:07

The alchemist did not go on. It was already clear that there was someone to come, and they certainly would not bring good things with them.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:09

Outside, the gloom was coming in. The sun, already obscured by clouds, was only a reddish glint on the horizon. Here, beneath the glass ceiling, everything was a murky yellow, which in turn was rapidly turning a grayish-brown hue. And the first floor must be dark by now, like the basement. Lena figured it would be a quarter of an hour before it was dark upstairs, too. And the moon wasn't likely to shine through the swampy haze.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:10

"Look for a room," Santelli summed up without further thought. "A small one, but with shutters and a lockable door. I think there were a couple of them to the right of the reading room. We'll stay here now. We've got work to do. When we're done, we'll come down. Don't come in here. That's all."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:11

Waiting for the last of the tarred ones to come down the spiral staircase, Biso touched a lever cleverly disguised as a lamp stand. He yanked and turned it specially. Curved petals of the same metal as the railing slid out of their concealed slots, diaphragmatically sealing off the descent, securely sealing the room from the rest of the house. The brigadier, the alchemist, and the swordsman were alone.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:13

"Amazing," he whispered, nodding toward the curtained painting. "I didn't think so."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:14

Kai silently moved his sword from one shoulder to the other.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:14

"Later," impatiently threw in Santelli. "All this afterward. Are you sure you can do it?"

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:15

"Let's see..." The alchemist said, not too confidently. His voice trembled and faltered. Biso tore off his hat and tossed it in the corner. He rolled up his sleeves nervously, then tore off his cape as well, sending it off with the crumpled hat. The leather corset vest tugged at the alchemist's substantial belly.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:16

"The Eye of the Moon..." Biso muttered feverishly, cracking his fingers. "Lunar... But some actually feed on the moon. And there are the allegorical ones, just nocturnal."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:17

Santelli looked at his mage and realized that the alchemist was overwhelmed by the responsibility and complexity of the task, so he was clearly about to screw something up. The brigadier laid back on the couch, brushed off his pigtails with a graceful gesture, and asked:

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:18

"Do I look like a young courtesan? Will I be a masterpiece for the ages?"

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:19

For a couple of moments, Biso stared at the commander with a blank, maddened look. And then, at last, he understood and laughed deeply, sincerely. He laughed, throwing away the tension and fear with his laughter. Kai hid the smirk in the wrinkles that spread from the corners of his eyes. The foreman smiled, too, and rolled over with a soft, feline motion, getting to his feet.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:23

"Come on, friend," he said. "Try it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. After all, the thing is half a thousand years old. Maybe it went stale a long time ago. Worst case, it'll break. Then we go with the old plan. Longer, but more usual."

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:24

Something rattled below, the sound hardly penetrating the thin but sturdy metal of the diaphragm. The tarred ones seemed to be breaking furniture, barricading the chosen room. Santelli smiled faintly, thinking he'd picked a good team. No strife or squabbling, and everyone getting the tasks right and earning their wages. Even the most troublesome rookies, the brether and the healer, don't mess up the enterprise too much.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:25

Maybe Charley shouldn't have been hired. Well, there was talk of the Undead Duelist, who can only be killed by another brether's saber, having been challenged to fight properly, according to the old custom. As might be expected, no mad spirit was to be found in the house, which meant that the gold spent on the swordsman was a waste. On the other hand, if they survived until morning, there would be a hard road ahead, so the old killer might yet prove useful. It's too early to tell...

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:27

Biso carefully wiped his palms with a handkerchief, then wiped them again, this time with a special cambric cloth. He took a slate stick out of his bag, traced the perimeter of the frame, put his fingers on the polished surface, and whispered something. Kai and Santelli stepped back and to the side at once. Sometimes the old mirrors exploded, injuring and maiming hapless testers.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:27

There was a thin, almost indistinguishable ringing in the hall and barely perceptible ripples from the wizard's fingers as if the polished metal was alive and malleable. Biso squeezed his eyes shut, blue veins appearing on the alchemist's forehead, his face contorted with tension. He whispered faster and faster so that the words were woven into a monotonous howl. The mirror flashed a bluish flame, and the next instant it spewed a torrent of ghostly flame and immediately drew it back in. Biso recoiled and fell unabashedly on his ass. Santelli mechanically jerked his finger up toward the ceiling and pressed it against his left collarbone, asking for Pantocrator's protection. Kai pressed his lips together.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:30

The blind oval came to life with misty images, as if something was trying to pass from "the other side." Lena, if she had ever seen a magic experiment, would have thought of a broken focus. Foremen thought nothing; he waited patiently for the ancient artifact to come into full force, "tuning in" to the distant responder.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:32

After a few more moments, the image suddenly gained clarity, depth, and color. Now the mirror looked more like a real window, showing the office. A room, to be exact, not too big, not too small, furnished with wealth unimaginable for the Wastelands. There was almost no wood or metal, only polished stone. Marble, granite, crystal, all in different shades and kinds, smoothed and chiseled by the most skillful sculptors, who had made the stone malleable, made it turn into clay, forming amazing images. Santelli tried to imagine how much a marble lectern table with a candlestick, made of the same stone, with malachite inlays, could cost. He couldn't.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:37

A careful eye would have noted that the mirror reflected a study, not an amusement room or some other triclinium. The azurite shelves-so ancient that the original blue stone had turned green-were stuffed with ledgers, with many bookmarks and parchment sheets sewn into work notebooks. A whole stack of these sheets, thickly scribbled in green ink and torn in half, lay scattered on the two-color travertine floor, arranged in small octagons as a family crest - three acorns growing from a single root, which in turn braided a defeated boar. Someone had thrown away a fortune with admirable carelessness, for the scribbled parchment was usually scraped and then used over and over again until the material had thinned to the point of total worthlessness.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:38

Even the wine glass on the candlestick was both precious (the best aventurine glass, decorated with gold enamel) and somehow ... utilitarian. The item, whose value can only be measured in gold, stood carelessly on the very edge of the lectern. The owner simply used the glass without giving a second thought to the price.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:40

Santelli noticed that there was no chair, no bench, not even a stool in the office. No one could sit down, much less lie down.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:40

"Where are the people?" The foreman asked quietly, wondering if he had mixed up the time. But as it turned out, the mirror had not finished tuning, and now the people appeared. Three, to be exact. And one beast. Santelli couldn't help the grimace of displeasure; he was expecting a more private, one-on-one conversation.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:42

The first thing that immediately caught his eye was the Hobbist, a hyena-like creature, which, as it was widely believed, could not be trained in any way or by any means. The beast in the mirror disproved dozens of treatises on the art of hunting and breeding of animals because it sat quietly and serenely, and it was on a thin, gilded chain. Santelli had once been harassed by fighting pigs, of which the brigadier, then a young and naive young man, retained unpleasant memories. The Hobbist looked much scarier than a pig.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:44

The hyena chain ended in a sloppy loop on the arm of a dazzlingly beautiful dark-haired woman in her twenties, no more (or less). The feminine woman looked like an independent fighter, with a haircut slightly longer than Shena's but styled so that her hair seemed even shorter. And dressed like a mercenary routier, in leather pants and a quilted jacket with long sleeves and silver embroidery. The brigadier's experienced eye immediately noticed that the jacket was, in fact, a magnificent imitation of a real military "quilted jacket" - too thin and would not protect against even a blow with a table knife. But if he sold it, he could hire a real routier, at least for a month, maybe longer. The white lace collar, made from real spider thread by the real Shadows from the Farm, was worth about as much. A polished shoulder pad with fine engraving covered his left arm, but the foreman couldn't see the engraving. Most likely, it was the same crest with acorns and a boar.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:50

The second woman was the opposite, a blonde in a long white dress. Her face was covered by a mask in the shape of a gilded lattice, and the pattern was familiar to Santeli. So were the gold fingernails on her right hand, united by chains and tiny hinges in a glove-like structure. Such things, the brigadier sometimes found in the dungeons, and that was an extremely expensive Profit. The mask, coupled with the clawed gauntlet, could be enchanted for a variety of tasks, but mostly, they were used when working with "living cards" made of sand, spring water, or mercury.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:52

The center of the lively composition was a man of advanced years, on either arm of whom the feminines were placed. Formally, the man appeared to be an old man whose face and long white robe were more suitable for a merchant than an aristocrat. Highborn men tended to let their hair grow to their shoulders and shave smoothly, demonstrating that their faces were unmarred by transmutations and sores, a tradition that dated back to the early years after the Cataclysm. This man wore a short solid beard. Old age imprinted itself in every wrinkle of his face, in every spot of pigment, marked his eyes, faded to unpleasant transparency, and dried his lips to a parchment-like appearance. Bluish shadows lingered under his eyes, clearly showing his master's long-standing predilection for rejuvenating elixirs and magical extracts. So the man was even older than he looked, ten years or more.

Camrad_RIP 30.06.23 в 17:53