Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 22

Chapter 22. A Moment of Happiness

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 11:28

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Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 11:27

Matrice recalculated the day's income and was generally pleased. Without Hel, things were not going as smoothly as they could, but not bad, not bad. The apothecary caught herself that she missed having an assistant. Of course, in public, Matrice grilled the redhead and criticized her for her ineptitude, but that was the fate of the apprentice - everyone did not give a damn about them. Traditions that had been hallowed for centuries. You can't just take them and overstep them. The girl was lucky to be here in the Wastelands, where everything was simple. In the Kingdoms, the life of an apprentice is much harder and stretches on in complete hopelessness for years, sometimes a lifetime.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 13:44

The apothecary made a note on the wax tablet and twirled the stylus thoughtfully, adding up the numbers in her mind. It turned out to be a bad week, with minimal profit. It was tolerable, though. It was always like that in the spring. She worried about the huge cash gap formed because of the adventure with the house, the painting, and the Duke. However, this concern was a routine one, and here the apothecary did everything that depended on her. It remained only to wait for the outcome. That is the pigeon mail from Malersyde.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 14:32

There was a knock on the door of the Apothecary, softly, one might say delicately.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 14:33

"It's closed!" The apothecary shouted, looking at the murky silhouettes outside the narrow window.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 15:59

"Would you be so kind as to open up? We won't be long," echoed a melodious female voice muffled by the door.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:00

"Yeah, sure," Matrice grumbled, considering whether to call for Saphir. Or could she just ring the enchanted bell, and the guards would be here in a minute?

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:08

The late visit made the apothecary think she was neglecting her security, relying too much on her reputation. She should get a bodyguard again, or better yet, two to watch her back all day long.....

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:09

As Matrice pondered, the dark figures outside merged into a wide dark blur as if they were bowing their heads in conversation. And then the apothecary heard a lock jingling in the silence. The one that was locked from the inside with a three-bearded key. The apothecary froze, listening and not believing her ears, but the door was already opening, letting in three figures in dark cloaks up to their heels.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:11

"Don't," the shortest intruder swung one hand, and the bell the apothecary had grabbed went numb. With his other hand, the intruder pulled back the hood, and the scream froze in Matrice's throat, a strangled wheeze. Unlike the dead bell, it wasn't the result of witchcraft, just the apothecary seeing the face of a guest.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:12

One of the intruders closed the door behind him and turned the key, locking it again. The other looked at the shelves of herbs and pots. The woman stepped closer so that now only a shallow plank counter separated her and Matrice. The apothecary could not take her eyes off her guest's face and felt her legs rapidly losing strength, trying to break and drop her mistress. Long ago, in her past life, Matrice had heard of such people, and now the legends from her childhood stirred, paralyzing her will and filling her soul with fear.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:13

"There's no need to be afraid," the woman smiled. The smile was soft, quite friendly, and Matrice took a step back involuntarily, feeling an icy sweat chill her skin.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:24

"Don't run and call for help either," the guest recommended softly. The bell that had fallen out of Matrice's hand clattered to the floor.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:24

"What do you need..." for a second or so, the apothecary was proud of herself, of the way she controlled her voice even in such circumstances. But only for a second.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:25

"The truth. Just the truth, nothing more. I'm looking for a girl, a young redhead."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:26

It seemed that there was nowhere to be frightened further, but Matrice realized, in fact - there was. And she bitterly regretted that she hadn't gotten rid of Hel in any of the many ways.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:27

"She showed up in the area about a year ago," the interrogator tilted her head sideways, looking at the apothecary like a bird, slightly askew, with lively curiosity. "She was probably looked for, but not found. And yet she's here somewhere."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:28

"I ..." Matrice realized that her tongue didn't move, paralyzed with terror. It was stuck between her teeth like a half-chewed piece of cooked meat.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:28

"You don't know her, never met her or even heard of her," nodded the guest understandingly, with a kind of perverse approval on her narrow, very pretty face, saying, I respect the fantasy, well thought out. "We'll skip that and get right to the point."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:30

She took two small steps and, with a light, graceful movement, adjusted the hood over her shoulders so it lay in symmetrical folds.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:31

"Where is she?" The guest asked quietly, and Matrice answered.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:32

The apothecary spoke very quickly and a great deal, trying not to lose track of even the smallest fact. She extracted such details from her memory that, in other circumstances, she would have been surprised at the reliability of her memory. And she shared her memories generously, holding nothing back. The guest nodded measuredly, and Matrice did not doubt that the woman remembered every word she heard.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:33

"Is that all?" The guest clarified when the flow of the apothecary's eloquence finally dried up like a dried-up spring.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:34

"Yes," Matrice exhaled.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:35

"Interesting," the cloaked woman said. "So they won't come back here?"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:35

"No," Matrice shook her head fast and quick to be sure. She was unbearably ashamed of her uncontrollable fear. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:38

"Interesting," the woman repeated. "Wait."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:39

The last seemed to be addressed to the companions, but Matrice took it personally. Waiting in wistful hope for the best was the only thing left to her.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:39

From where the guest got a small mat, rolled up in a tight roll, Matrice did not understand. It seemed to be from under her cloak, but it could have come out of thin air. She spread it out on the cleanly swept floor and knelt as if she were preparing to pray. She could not be seen behind the high counter, only rustling and a quiet voice. It was as if the guest was talking to herself. Or to someone invisible. Matrice heard only a few times repeated "Yes". And in the voice, she could hear the undisguised surprise.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:42

The guest rose from behind the counter as if an evil spirit had crawled out of a well.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:43

"Thank you," she thanked as if nothing had happened. "'I mean, our conversation will remain a secret, won't it?"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:44

"Of course," Matrice's teeth chattered as the apothecary couldn't believe her luck.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:44

"Good luck," it sounded like a subtle sneer on the woman with the mat's lips, but Matrice overcame the urge to fall to her knees and thank her fervently for her mercy.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:46

The woman stopped at the threshold and snapped her fingers in a half-turn. The silver coin made a perfect parabola, hitting the gourd cup where the apothecary had poured the change.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:47

"For your troubles," the guest giggled.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:48

The trio went back into the night, and Matrice stood behind the wooden counter for a long time, unable to stop her trembling hands and, at the same time, to believe that she had parted the otherworldly horror so successfully.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:50

* * *

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 16:47

And over there is the Sword of God. It's also known as The Traveler's Friend. The point points South, and the hilt points North.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:01

From Elena's point of view, the seven stars resembled a sword in the same way that the "ladle" she knew from her previous universe resembled a bear. But, after all, it was human nature to fantasize and dream... A thought struck her - if she'd been practicing some kind of orienteering and studying a map of the starry sky, she could be looking for familiar constellations right now.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:04

Usually, the moon obscured the dim light of the stars, absorbing it with an even bluish-blue background. But this night, the clouds were scattered, and the heavenly fireflies glimmered unusually brightly, so the moon, on the contrary, created a contrast. As some English aristocrat said - there is nothing that seems blacker than the right dark blue color. Or something like that... However, she didn't want to think about mundane things. Lena felt good here and now. A warm blanket warmed her back. Her legs rested, freed from their wrappings, and rubbed with triclinic juice. She rested her head on the legs of the sitting Shena and inhaled the smell of the steppe, mixed with the pungent but pleasant aroma of dried hogweed, which everyone rubbed on her today as a hygienic procedure.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:15

"And here are the Messenger and the Prophet, two constellations that are always together. They say that astrologers read the future of the newlyweds from them...."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:15

Shena's voice trembled, and Lena hurriedly distracted her with a question:

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:18

"Who are they? I've heard of them, but not much."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:18

"It's a good thing we're not in the Kingdoms," Shena smiled. "There, for a question like that..."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:19

She did not continue and, after a little thought, explained, seeming to be quoting some text from memory:

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:19

"God rarely intervenes in human life. Pantocrator gave them reason and let them out into the world as a father of mature children. And a good parent does not wear out his descendants with excessive care. However, sometimes, in the years when people feel very bad, He sends a Messenger and a Prophet into the world."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:26

"Two at once?" Lena twisted her head slightly, looking at Shena.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:26

"Yes," the green-eyed woman furrowed her brow, remembering. "A Messenger is the embodied breath of God, a part of His essence. And the Prophet is an ordinary man but with many virtues. The Messenger does His will and performs miracles, and the Prophet protects the miracle worker and interprets predictions for people."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:28

"How many were there?" Lena was truly gripped by the story. "Are they men?"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.23 в 17:29