Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 33

Chapter 33

Camrad_RIP 05.04.23 в 09:19

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Camrad_RIP 05.04.23 в 09:19

The autumnal air, cool and crystal fresh, was perfectly clear and immovable. The serene sky, a piercing blue inexpressible, had not even a trace of clouds. Only at the very horizon, which went somewhere frighteningly far to the city eye, it twitched a little white, merging with the boundless silver-white steppe.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:33

Alex pulled in, the cool steppe air filled with the unfamiliar scents of dry grasses, and moved on. The short, silver-white stalks, more like thin paper tubes, scratched his trousers with a quiet rustle and crunched under the thin soles of his loafers. After taking a few steps, he stopped again, looking around.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:34

The silver smoothness of the steppe was dusted with red dust. Among the withered stalks were small red flowers on thick green stalks. Their scarlet droplets, in the distance, merged into scarlet waves, frozen motionless in the boundless steppe.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:35

//Now I see why Cassard's colors are scarlet and white," Alex thought, gazing out at the horizon, blending in with the sky. His eyes tingled a little, unused to the distance. The steppe seemed endless, transparent, and empty.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:36

The only object overlooking the silver canvas of the steppe was behind their backs. Khalis Castle was in the middle of the continent, far from the capital. And it was one of the 'country' castles on Cassard. It had been chosen as a residence, for the time of the Day of Gifts, for security reasons. Since the capital, Castle Istal also housed the Throne of Fire as well as the headquarters of the Municipality and the Office. It was simply impossible to evacuate everyone from there. There were also millions of tourists and pilgrims to the shrines. The Khalis was the only building for many hundreds of kilometers. Nor were there any tourists, and it was hard to believe fourteen billion people were living on this planet.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:38

//The truth is, they won't leave me alone here either," he mentally sighed as he continued to walk leisurely toward the destination of their journey. A dark red, wavering mirage, with a black orber circling around it.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:44

The first morning on Cassard, after the Day of Gifts, began somewhat earlier and not as he would have liked. The scouts, in the company of a dozen retainers in civilian clothes, showed up in the full parade. They were eager to obtain the visas of Lord Cassard, as the highest court of justice, for a pile of various warrants for search, inquiry, and detention. Not the most pleasant activity, especially since he'd read them all. // "Probably shouldn't have, though. You won't see any familiar names here anyway.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:46

"We'll stay here, Your Lordship," came the voice of his 'security specialist' from behind him. At his questioning glance, Taer shrugged and added, her lips curling slightly. "Lady Kayrin wanted a word with you, alone."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:48

The Baroness, he was informed at the end of the bureaucratic battle, had arrived at Cassard at night. And chatting with her was certainly worthwhile. One could only wonder at the place chosen for the conversation. //After the paperwork, though, it's a good idea.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:48

Leaving the guards, led by Taer, behind him, Alex made his way the remaining hundred meters through the brittle undergrowth alone. As he approached, a blurred figure made some indistinct gesture, and the orber moved slightly to the side, engaging Alex in its orbit. The blurred veil fell, and Alex saw Kayrin.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:50

The Baroness was dressed in the dark scarlet guardsman uniform of House Fyron, with a black leather shoulder strap that bore a scarlet griffin hoisted on its hoop. A broad black belt spanned the tunic and dangled from it the hilt of his sword and his blaster. Her long black hair was gathered into a ponytail in a dainty ring of dark matter. She was looking thoughtfully into the distance as she perched on a boulder at the edge of a very large but shallow depression. Filled with the same boulders, almost invisible because of the steppe grass. There was a pattern to their arrangement.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:51

//Some kind of weird rock garden," Alex decided as he stepped closer. The surface beneath his feet became unusually hard, and he looked down for a moment. What he first thought was a large flat rock turned out to be a long-frozen puddle of metal, slightly littered with dust.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:51

He walked over to Kayrin, and it was clear that the "boulder" she was sitting on was actually the side of some machinery, almost completely sunk into the ground. Alex squinted, taking a closer look at the other 'boulders'. One of them, closer to the edge, protruded heavily from the grass, a dark molten lump of metal that reeked of something military. Apparently, the depression he had mistaken for a long-drained lake was, in fact, a crater from a massive explosion.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:53

In the distance, there were several more of the same hollows.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:53

"Is this the scene of the battle?" He asked to confirm his guess.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:54

"Yes," Kayrin replied without turning around. "About a hundred and twenty years ago. Your great-grandfather didn't agree with his brother on the issue of kin supremacy. Your brother had the Planetary Forces and the Police on his side. As you can see, they almost made it. But the Orbital Forces backed your great-grandfather at the last moment. After his victory, he decided to leave everything here as it was. As a lesson." She waved her hand somewhere to the left. "There's a memorial stone further up."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:55

"So that no more brother would go after his brother?" He asked, sitting down on the "boulder" as well. The boulder, instead of the expected cold pull of metal, was somehow "plastic" and warm.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:56

"No, to remember..." She sighed, still staring into the distance. "That the power of kin is among the stars, not on earth."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:57

//The conversation is clearly going to be difficult," Alex mentally concluded, and tried to change the subject:

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:57

"A philosophical place. Beautiful, and thought-provoking."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:57

A dreamy smile slid across the Baroness's lips:

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:59

"It's a good place to think."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:59

Alex was silent as if to suggest to Kayrin, to speak further.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 17:59

"You know, I've been thinking a lot lately," she said. "Is kinship a spiritual bond or a blood bond? What do you think?"

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:03

"I don't know," he shrugged and wondered. "Probably a blood connection. There might not be a spiritual connection to the relatives. But there's still blood."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:04

"Yeah, that's right... I didn't really get along with Allesandro, you know," she admitted. "When we were kids, though, we were thick as thieves. My parents often came to Cassard in the winter to visit Alessie. We used to run around here all day, hiding from the caretakers. There are fewer damaged vehicles further away. It was almost impossible to find us there. We all came back burnt from head to toe. Baron Kouifi even wanted to get rid of it, but his parents told him not to. It was a pity for such a beauty..."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:06

Alex listened to this sentimental monologue, wondering feverishly how to proceed. He was spoken of in the third person, and Kayrin might as well have said, "Hey, I know you're not Lord Cassard. She, too, had a blaster on her belt, and he didn't want to have to compete with her reaction time.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:11

//On the other hand, why would she attack you? - came a sobering thought from an inner voice. - "She obviously didn't find out about it today, and if she wanted to turn you in, she had plenty of time for that. And she called for a 'chat'. Clearly, she's going to blackmail me."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:12

This version sounded reasonable, and there was nothing very scary about the blackmail itself:

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:14

//At least I'll find out what she wants out from under me after all," Alex decided as he calmed down.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:15

"...But then something happened," the baroness continued, frowning slightly. "I was twelve, and I felt incredibly grown-up. And Alessie, he was..." She looked up at the sky as if searching for the right words. "It was as if he had deliberately become completely nasty, stupid, and arrogant. He must have been going through an initiation, trying on purpose to keep the number of people around him to a minimum. Ironic." She sighed. "Knowing a man since he was four years old and finding out he was an Adept too, only now. When you can't change anything."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:20

"Kayrin," Alex tried to sound genuinely surprised, "why are you talking about me in the third person? And what adepts, anyway?" He decided not to "stonewall" until last to see what else she had to say.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:21

She finally turned to him and gave him a look more like a blaster shot.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:21

"We both knew what was going on back then. During the assassination attempt at the castle. You know I'm an Adept. I know you're an Adept and not Alessandro Cassard, but someone else in his body."

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:22

Alex glanced at the orber circling around them, //I wonder how reliable that thing is.

Camrad_RIP 07.04.23 в 18:23

"What makes you think that?" He asked out loud, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:47

"I've known Alessi since I was a child! I could feel him through any defenses," she cut off and added in a calm tone. "Well, it's obvious you're an Adept because only two very powerful Adepts can swap souls."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:49

"Is that why you almost killed me then?"

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:49

"Yes," the Baroness nodded grudgingly. "I was frightened. When I started the scan, I expected to see a werewolf or a spy in disguise. But suddenly, the Adept. And stronger than me. Although you have to admit, I'm not exactly what you'd call weak. I thought maybe I'd be fast enough to get the sword..."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:51

"What made you change your mind?" The feigned curiosity in Alex's voice was replaced by a completely genuine one.

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:52

"I decided what the demons..." She shrugged. "Why kill you when we can negotiate? Besides, it was almost a second later, and I was still thinking freely. So you shouldn't have lied about my manifestation." Kayrin added, stumping Alex. "You're definitely not a telepath. Probably a seer, considering how lucky you are. Although I bet you set up the first assassination attempt with Allesandro, right after the ritual, to give you an alibi...."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 05:53

"Why did you backtrack in the castle, then?" he asked, deciding to leave the matter of "manifestations" for later when he knew more about the Adepts.

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:35

"You have a visual recording system in your bedroom," Kayrin smirked. "I didn't know if it was on or off."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:35

"And?"

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:35

"It was on, but I took the sticks away before Countess Durlurl's men got to them."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:36

"Did you ever think for a second that I wasn't an adept after all?" Alex asked with a sly look.

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:37

"Well, that would mean you were in this body by the will of the Flame itself... Or the Twilight. I'm not so religious."

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:37

//How the hell am I supposed to know if I'm an adept or not? - "And sort out the 'visual record' in my bedroom, because it's not decent.

Camrad_RIP 08.04.23 в 06:38