Житие Мое / Life of Mine: Глава 3

Chapter 3

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:40

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Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:40

The holiday that had begun so abruptly was getting better - my uncle's potion had ruined my appetite, but it had seriously improved my temper. I'd never known Source's fluctuations to affect my mood so much.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:55

It was very timely, as it allowed me to accept my little sister and little brother without annoyance. No, I didn't mind kids, but three years ago, when we were equals, I hadn't been so bothered by the little ones; their attention had been mostly focused on their parents then. Now little Emmie was teaching me how to recognize flowers - by leading me to a buttercup, pointing at it, and saying:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:56

"That's a chicken boot!"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:56

I was more concerned with zoology than botany: my stepfather had put some kind of spell on the window of my room to ward off bees, but the creatures were taking their toll outside. I hadn't been stung in two days, but I feared my luck would run out.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:57

Lucik was running around, happy and radiant, and talking about everything, that is, literally about everything. It was a real stream of consciousness, the meaning of which I could not grasp, even when I tried to understand something. Unusual behavior for an eight-year-old boy. If the awakening of the white Source had such symptoms, then what did the awakening of the black one look like? I tried to remember what I'd done to those around me when I was his age.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:58

"You know, you were trying to boss everyone around in the early days of your awakening," Joe said at lunch, watching his offspring with an adoring look on his face. "Literally everyone, even the cats. It was so funny..."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 08:59

It's a good thing these events are not imprinted on my memory.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:00

For two days, I had shown wonders of restraint and self-control; even a very picky empath could not tell that I did not conform in some way to the image of the Genius Big Brother. On the third day, as promised, Uncle Gordon announced an expedition proposal to my kinsmen. We drank tea on the veranda, which was now also under the influence of a spell that repelled bees. The stubborn creatures flew to the edge of the spell and hovered there, humming meaningfully. I sprinkled honey on the pancakes-I didn't like bees, but I liked sweets, and the fact that they were taken from the hated insects and laced with their corpses only made it taste better.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:04

My mother was unenthusiastic about my uncle's suggestion:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:04

Thomas has come for a holiday...

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:04

I broke away from the pancakes:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:05

"But, Ma! It's King's Island!"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:07

"Besides, the boy will be able to earn a little money," said his uncle into the cup.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:07

Money? This aspect of the expedition I haven't thought about yet.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:07

"How much do they pay?" Joe wondered.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:08

"Seventeen crowns a week," said my uncle. "Plus three meals a day."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:08

Fifty crowns in three weeks! My eyes must have said it all for me: I had already seen that money, already felt its weight in my hands. Mother sighed heavily.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:08

"Come on, Millie!" Uncle grinned. "It's only a month. You will still have time to enjoy each other's company."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:09

"You're going to the island with the ghosts?" Lucik's eyes rounded.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:10

"Don't be afraid, little one!" I smiled indulgently. "If they show up, your brother will seal them all off."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:10

"There hasn't been anything going on there for ages," my stepfather sided with me.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:11

"But no one has lived there for ages," my mother said meaningfully.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:11

They argued some more, but, as always, I had the last word. Am I black or not? Mum sighed and started packing me up for the trip. Joe was getting in the way, annoying my mother and me alike. One good thing was that it was raining in the valley the day I left, and the bees didn't see me off.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:11

All the way to the coast, my uncle and I drove in silence, but not because we had nothing to say. It was just that the old car was galloping over the bumps like a jerboa, howling uphill and rattling downhill; it might have cost us our tongues to try to communicate in such conditions. The few travelers would turn away at our sight and make frightening signs, the cows would kick, and the horses would buck and holler. Ha, nobody knew where we were going yet!

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:13

As far as I know, the island has always been considered forbidden. Under the old authorities, it was home to the worst prison in all of Ingernika. The new ones closed it down out of compassion for the prisoners, but since then, it's been believed that the souls of black mages dwell there after death. A century ago, a chain of beacons appeared around the island, frightening away fishing boats with a mournful chime. Opinions differed as to the reasons for these restrictions: some believed the area was home to an open gateway to the netherworld. Others claimed that the authorities were guarding the tomb of the very King, while others, referring to the legends, hinted that the King was capable of defending himself. The island had never been a tourist destination, interest in it was not encouraged, and I had never encountered any images of it.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:15

All the more surprising was the arrival of the capital's smartasses in Krauhard. What could anyone be looking for in a place where no one had ever lived?

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:16

The archaeologists were traveling to the island from a tiny fishing village with a strange name, Dog Beach, which I don't know how anyone associates with corpses and rubbish dumps. My uncle and I were the first to arrive at the village. I was quietly breezing around in a thick knit jumper, hoping that the sea was really as cold as promised.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:17

The hirers turned up when it was past midday. First, a huge truck rolled up to the dock, almost new, judging by the exhausts, followed by a semi-military off-road vehicle (only the army uses diesel engines for such small vehicles). Loaders and guards jumped out of the truck, and our future leadership stepped out of the car, taking their time.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:17

"The fellows are loaded with money," said my uncle thoughtfully.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:18

I didn't support the conversation - the hangover from the antimagic potion was surprisingly nasty.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:18

"I won't give it to you again," my uncle said when he left, "it causes hallucinations and schizophrenic episodes after long periods of use."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:19

I almost choked.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:19

"Why didn't you warn me?"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:19

"Did you have a choice?" my uncle reasonably objected. "We won't draw attention to it. The elixir will wear off in two days. Then we'll start training. I warn you. I'm not much of a teacher, so don't count on me much! Your task is not to cast spells, as Koy Gorgun. Just learn how to confidently call and release the Source you do not need special intelligence. Do you know what I mean? Gotcha?"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:22

I nodded; I didn't have a headache at the time. The idea of making money, seeing the forbidden island, and learning a little more magic seemed appealing. Who knew I was going to be so sick?

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:22

Apart from us, three other laborers were going to the island, not locals, as far as clothes were concerned. I mean, no one wears short-sleeved clothes in Krauhard, even in summer - health is more important. The fellows did not try to get acquainted with us. I guessed that all of them were students, either from the capital or from some other part of the country. They were drinking the contents of a large leather flask and laughing. They seemed to have a very rough idea of what King's Island was all about. I was already painting in my mind the picture of a bunch of cabinet scientists on a budget trip to historic sites when this not-quite civilian truck pulled up. A pile of bales, crates, and barrels was rapidly growing on the jetty. A couple of burly men in identical overalls were taking on the cargo and shooing prying eyes away. One of them had a police baton on his belt, and the other had a knife behind the ankle of his high boot. On the boat, which was languishing in the water not far from the shore, the couples were getting ready.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:27

I tried to push nausea away and think straight. The car, the boat, and the guards all meant that the expedition management not only had money but also knew the right places. I began to wonder:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:29

"What are we looking for?"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:29

The uncle only grinned in response:

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:30

"I didn't ask! Don't worry, nephew. We'll just be more careful."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:30

The students murmured as they welcomed the expedition leader, a short, thin, and remarkably unattractive woman. It was a case where no amount of white magic could save the situation. With regular features and clear ivory skin, she flaunted the drooping eyelids of a heavy drinker and a sardonic smile that would have honored a crocodile. Behind her followed a man a head taller than she, dressed in a deliberately civil manner and with the telltale signs of a black mage.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:32

No doubt it's a very wise decision to bring a specialist in otherworldly phenomena to the island, but we all know how much military-grade black mages cost.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:32

"Gentlemen," the crocodile lady began her greeting, addressing mainly my uncle and me, "I am your king and god for the next four weeks, and you must address me as Mrs. Clements and nothing else. I also tell you that no drunkenness will be tolerated during the period of our collaboration," she glanced at me for some reason, though the flask was in the hands of the students, "and I warn you that everything you see or find on the island is the exclusive property of the expedition. Understood? Those who don't agree should stay ashore."

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:33

"I understand, Mrs. Clements!" Uncle chanted in the tone one uses when grooming a stubborn mare.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:34

The crocodile lady cocked her head in a very horse-like manner, but the man behind her coughed, and there was no scandal.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:34

"Mr. Smith is with me," she gritted through her teeth, "our safety expert. Given the specifics of the site, I demand that you report any oddities or unusual occurrences to him immediately!"

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:35

Everyone nodded agreeably, but I was a little disappointed. What, no one would be allowed to tell anyone about the island? It's a bit schizophrenic, isn't it?

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:36

A dinghy with a crackling alcohol engine came off the boat. The local fishermen on the shore were watching with interest to see if it would stall or not. If the spirit is local, it will stall for sure. I've checked it many times on my scooter. Either our climate is too humid, or the sellers are too shameless, but I failed to make the engine work steadily. What a joy it would be to be stuck between heaven and earth.

Camrad_RIP 19.04.23 в 09:37