Страж Империи / Guardian of the Empire: Глава 1

Chapter 1
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Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:01

Waving to the driver, I moved away from the cart and returned to my usual place to the left of the gate arch. Squinting, I looked at the blazing fireball that had already risen above the distant forest and was noticeably warming, dispersing the morning chill. And there was not a cloud in the sky today... The stream of people, bursting through the narrow neck of the gate into the city with noise and hubbub, as if frightened by the approaching daytime heat, melted away as if by the wave of a hand.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:04

Good... Consider the hardest part of the day behind you. In the morning, you rush around the eastern gate like a wind-up toy, like those Master Guillaume sells, and then the service goes quite calmly. The peasants and small merchants who came to the city market, who tried to storm the gates at dawn, will lose all their seething energy and will get back out calmly, without haste, without pushing, shouting, and cursing. Blessings...

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:10

Idly looking at the carts entering the dark mouth of the passage cut in the stone, which seemed to be the arch of the city gate, I could not help but yawn. If only I could sleep... And I shook myself, peeling myself away from the wall for a few moments. This idleness is so relaxing that it immediately makes you sleepy. Sighing, I pressed my rounded shoulder pad into a chip in the stonework, which gave good support, and froze. There really was nothing to do for now. Right now, suppliers from dozens of Kelm shopkeepers were rushing through the gates with fresh greens, slaughtered meat, and other food; a huge amount is needed to feed the forty thousand armada of townspeople. And this is only counting the original residents of Kelm, but the visitors also want to eat...

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:13

"Kar, are you asleep or what?" As he approached, Veld noticed that I wasn’t even moving my head, indifferently watching the line of carts.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:14

“Not yet,” I responded lazily.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:15

“I’d like to sleep too…” Veld said dreamily, ignoring my answer as usual. He moved his helmet, adjusting it more comfortably, and perked up: “Listen, did you manage to place your bet?”

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:16

“To today’s show?” I asked, purely out of natural mischief, making a thoughtful face, as if I had just remembered the anniversary of the Battle of Meran.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:17

"What else?!" Veld was amazed. He moved closer and whispered conspiratorially: "If you haven't bet on anyone yet, now is the time to do so. And I'll give you a friendly hint... I have a sure sign!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:19

“Which one?” I involuntarily became interested, although I had long since sworn off participating in Veld’s adventures.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:20

"Elmira, do you remember? That red-headed scribbler who keeps records at the magistrate's office... She whispered to me: the other day the centurion scolded Dietrich for letting that gang of night robbers escape. He said he cursed him with the worst words, promising to demote him to a simple guard." And he concluded contentedly: "So it's a sure thing. We just need to put a decent amount of money on Dietrich. It's a pity I didn't find you yesterday. Will the foreman allow you to leave now?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:22

"And what benefit does she get from telling you all this?" I doubted the veracity of my friend's words. I remembered his red-haired girlfriend very vaguely, but the way they had a huge fight was clearly imprinted in my memory.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:22

“I promised her a date at the Black Rose,” Veld replied.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:20

I looked at him in surprise. A visit to one of Kelm's most expensive taverns is expensive. Maybe just take a girl there once to impress her. But he seems to be well acquainted with this Elmira... What's the point of showing off if she knows he's a simple guard?

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:25

"I’m just trying to make a jackpot,” my friend explained, catching my doubts, and said very quietly: “I borrowed gold for the stake… And I advise you not to be scarce.”

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:27

"Are you crazy?!" I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Such a lot of money?! And if you lose?!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:28

"Be quiet!" Veld hissed, hitting me in the side with his fist. The blow was quite noticeable, since his hand was protected by a glove reinforced with metal pads.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:29

"Oh, come on," I waved my hand. "Who can hear anything when the wheels hit the stones with such a noise?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:29

"That's no reason to shout about such a money-making matter to the whole district," Veld muttered. "Bets are accepted until midday. If everyone finds out about what I told you, then I won't see a fat jackpot. The bookmakers won't have anything to pay with... They're accepting bets on Dietrich at one to eight now."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:31

“It’s tempting…” I drawled thoughtfully, imagining for a moment how great it would be to get hold of almost ten gold coins out of thin air… They wouldn’t hurt me at all… I could continue my studies at the sword school and with the greedy alchemist… And I sighed regretfully, driving away the sweet dreams in which I became a real rich man for a while: “I have nothing to bet anyway.”

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:32

"Did you spend it all on teachers?" my friend asked pro forma - it was no secret to him where my money was going. And he advised: "Borrow from the moneylenders. You'll pay it back today anyway."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:33

"No, I won't get involved with moneylenders," I refused point-blank. The last two years have taught me once and for all not to get into debt. From the salary that each guard was entitled to for a decade of service, I had a few coppers left, and the rest went to Trim the Rat to pay off the debt and interest on it. Life was not sweet at all back then, even if I managed to earn a good amount of money on my days off. No, I don't want to experience that pleasure again, so that in a year I'll have to pay back twice as much as I borrowed.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:35

"And rightly so," the foreman approved of my decision. He had quietly approached us while we were engrossed in conversation. "Only usurers get rich from loans, while ordinary people suffer only losses from them."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:39

"Yes, all this is clear," I waved my hand with annoyance, interrupting Roald, who intended to start lecturing. "You know yourself - I had no other choice then."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:40

"Yes, you hadn't," Roald agreed. "And there's no point in sticking your head in the trap again."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:42

I sighed, looking reproachfully at Roald. Of course, he was an old friend of my adoptive father's and had looked after me as best he could since his death, but sometimes he overdid it with his care. And he knew perfectly well that it was only the need to pay that damned duty of a quarter of the value of the inheritance that had forced me into the usurer's web...

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:43

"Foreman!" Roald was distracted from his intention to lecture by a man in a dusty travelling cloak. He jumped down from a grey-covered van that had pulled up to the gate.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:44

"What's the matter?" Roald muttered discontentedly, turning around.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:10

"Are you certifying papers?" the merchant inquired, coming closer. He moved the hem of his cloak and pulled out some rolled-up papers from a tube attached to his belt.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:26

"So you won't be trading in the city?" the foreman asked, as expected.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:26

"No," the bald man assured, throwing off his hood. He looked youthful, but the wrinkles around his eyes betrayed that he was not a youth. "We're going straight to the port, and then we'll load onto the Swallow and head to Aquitaine."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:27

"Twenty-eight small barrels of 'Dark Vine' from Mother Rouillier's vineyards?" the foreman asked after examining the papers. He shook his head. "A solid load... It probably cost fifty in gold?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:27

"Something like that," the merchant smiled, not revealing the true value of his cargo. But Roald was unlikely to be mistaken, counting two gold pieces for a small barrel. The "Dark Vine" from the world-famous vineyards of Mother Rouillier cannot cost less. In a tavern, a glass of this wine will cost a silver coin, and in a barrel, as much as fifty liters.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:28

"Kar, count," the foreman ordered. He unhooked a short staff from his belt with a small ball of transparent glass at the top, seemingly glued to the handle, and handed it to me.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:29

Taking the anarch - a catcher of elemental flows of transformed bodies, as one of my teachers put it in a scholarly way, or, to put it simply, a determinant of the magic used, I moved the ring on the handle clockwise until it clicked and went to carry out the order. Having glanced briefly at the well-groomed, handsome heavy-duty horses, who, stepping with their shaggy legs, seemed eager to continue their journey, I approached the merchant's guards standing nearby.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:30

I deactivated my protective amulet with the 'Shield of Light while still on the move so that it would not interfere with the anarch's work, and therefore I began checking it without delay.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:30

Two strong men in leather armor with crossbows and short swords reacted calmly to my manipulations. I circled them with the staff, as if trying to outline the enlarged contours of the figures. At the level of the neck of each of the guards, the anarch's sphere was filled with a dim blue glow. This clearly indicated that they had magical items with spells from the initial circles of the Air sphere. Most likely, the simplest magical protection in case of unforeseen difficulties on the way.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:32

The merchant's guards' weapons were, as expected, ordinary. However, even without an inspection, it was safe to say that no violations would be found. What fool would go straight through the guards with a prohibited weapon in his hands? But, in essence, the meaning of the anarch's inspection was different: the ball not only fulfills its main function, but is also used to identify night creatures that disguise themselves as people and are not afraid of daylight. And what if werewolves or, even worse, vampires slip into the city, as happened a couple of years ago in neighboring Marne? Then you'll have to chase them away, running off your feet, instead of calmly serving, occasionally strolling along the streets of our quiet Kelm.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:34

After checking, the guards kindly lifted the curtain that concealed the expensive cargo, and I easily climbed into the cart.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 09:36

The anarch's glass ball immediately filled with a smooth golden glow. Some harmless, and therefore permitted, magic, ensuring the safety of the valuable drink. Having moved the wand and made sure that the glow it emitted remained unchanged, I turned the ring, extinguished the ball, and began counting the round-sided barrels.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:34

I coped with this simple task easily; I didn't even have to move from my place. But to check whether the unknown merchant was trying to smuggle something in secret, I climbed around the cart, looking into all the cracks. As expected, nothing extra was found, but what can you do if the established procedure for checking cargo is exactly this, and you can't deviate from it?

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:36

After shaking my head one last time to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I couldn't help but pat the lid of the nearest barrel. Or rather, the magical seal that emitted a barely noticeable light yellow shimmer, certifying that this product was indeed made at Mother Rouillier's enterprise. It was funny to feel dozens of stinging sparks poking at my palm, as if trying to escape from the prison in which my hand had locked them.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:37

But games are games, and the magic seals were not placed for my entertainment. And although I passionately do not want to part with these lovely barrels of fine wine, I cannot detain the merchant in vain. Sighing regretfully, I climbed to the back of the cart, to the thrown-back curtain.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:38

As I was climbing over another row, I winced when my left hand, which I had leaned on one of the barrels for stability, went numb almost to the shoulder. //“Some kind of magic,” a perfectly sensible thought flashed through my head. But the anarch showed nothing… Pretending that he had caught his foot on something and was now freeing it, I leaned over and once again touched the suspicious barrel, from which I had pulled my hand back in surprise at first.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:40

A strange feeling... My hand feels like it belongs to someone else... And some kind of gnawing feeling goes straight to the very core. Incomprehensible magic... Something is clearly wrong here... Only my hands are not anarch. I won't be able to prove anything, even though I have the gift of feeling magical effects on my own skin. The duty mage will have to figure it out... And if I'm wrong, then many unpleasant days await me on guard duty somewhere on the wall... But if I'm not wrong and the prohibited cargo is discovered at the port during a full customs inspection, all ten of us will go to the same wall. And the guys will be angry with me. What if there is contraband there - when else will I get such a chance? No one has canceled the reward in the amount of a tenth of the value of the detained cargo. Eh, if only the feeling was familiar, then I wouldn't have to doubt, and I have never felt anything like this before...

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:41

Having finally gotten out of the cart, I waved to the guards to lower the curtain and went to report to Roald. He was holding papers in his hands and exchanging meaningless phrases with the merchant. I approached and cheerfully reported:

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:43

"Exactly twenty-eight barrels, Mr. Foreman!"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:43

"Aren't you mistaken, Karridan?" Roald grinned without showing it, not taking my official address by surprise, although in our ten it was a conventional signal indicating an incomprehensible danger. "Looking at such wealth?"

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:43

"No, mister Foreman, I am not mistaken!" I barked, standing at attention.

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:44

"Well, as you say," said Roald, hinting that all the blame would fall on me if anything happened. Having attached the seal hanging on his belt to the papers, thus certifying the documents, the foreman reminded the merchant guest: "The road tax per cart is one copper coin."

Camrad_RIP 18.08.25 в 10:44