Part 2. - Chapter V. The Court Of Mithras

Grandfather Vadim and Costa greeted Oksana and Pavlina, who looked at grandfather Vadim in surprise.

"Well, Pava! Well, you are a master of concealment! And you thought I wouldn't know where you and Gaar came from? - grandfather Vadim shook his head.

"Did you tell him everything?" - Oksana Сosta asked with displeasure.

"I thought that he knows everything..." - the boy spread his hands, he did not realize that all the information his grandfather received from him.

"I'll be older than my boy. And there was no need to lead me by the nose, I would immediately help when necessary, - said the grandfather sententiously. - I will keep your secret, not worse than you, but I will not leave my grandson in this mess! Let's go deal with Jeremiah, you scoundrel!"

Grandma Pava smiled at grandpa Vadim, and everyone seemed to calm down and went into the Milovan house. Jeremiah's family didn't know anything, they had just woken up after new year's eve and were still walking around the kitchen slightly rumpled. Grandfather Levent paused with a lump of fat at his mouth as the entire delegation entered, and Catherine, the mother of Jeremiah and Cabris, was washing empty salad bowls. Cabris, stretching luxuriously, also left the room to see who had arrived so early. Oksana and grandma Pava took off their headscarves, and their eyes lit up with a mysterious blue light.

"We're charging you with the violation of the code of the Guardians! Your youngest son broke the law of non-interference and revealed secrets that he had no right to reveal! Because of him, the Princess of Avernus, Damir's own great-great-granddaughter, is in danger, perhaps she is no longer alive!"

"What are you talking about?" - Catherine exclaimed. – "My youngest son is not a Guardian!"

"So you don't know what's going on under your nose!" - Baba Pava exclaimed. - "Jeremiah has already made two attempts on Nea's life! We have proof that it was he who discovered the secret of the Guardian portals! I demand a trial!"

"This can't be happening!The kid doesn't have that power!" - grandfather Levent said.

"I'll call the Mithras cult," - Oksana said calmly. – "They will bring the Scales of Truth. Then our conflict will be over."

"What?" - grandfather Levent jumped up, angry. – "How dare you involve the Guards of Mithra?This is a small matter!"

"A small matter!?" - Oksana exploded. – "My daughter may already be dead! Who's going to save her?"

"Ahem... and let's invite your son here, - suggested grandfather Vadim. – Let's hear what he has to say for himself."

Cabris followed Jeremiah, who had heard everything and was cowering in the corner of his room. When grandfather Vadim offered to call him to the family showdown, he began to rush around the room, trying to either hide or escape. His older brother found him doing this. Cabris was surprised to see the fear and guilt on his younger brother's face; he simply couldn't believe that Jeremiah was capable of the kind of villainy he was accused of. Cabris knew that the village children did not want to play with him, but he believed that they were just picking on his brother because of his appearance and the oddities of his character. It was only now that Cabris thought that things might be very different.

"Jeremiah," - Cabris said to his brother.

"I don't want to go!" - the boy began to bristle.

"Why?" - his brother asked.

"I don't want to! You all have always pushed me around, you do not love me and do not protect me from the horrors of these aliens! They want to judge me with some kind of bogeyman-mit... something there!" – wailed the prophet Jeremiah.

Cabris opened his mouth and looked at him, and his brother clearly saw that all the words of the descendants of Edigarian were true! He is guilty! Cabris's stomach turned cold. He suddenly rolled up his sleeve, under which was hidden a surprisingly beautiful bracelet. Dark beads in 2 rows bordered several particularly valuable beads with a striking pattern, but one bead was larger than the others. The bead was artificial, it had the shape of a hexagon, on which there are amazing cut stones that form a gradient pattern. The bead was bordered by 2 gold rings. Cabris touched the bead and said:

"Mitra Ki, zian na campa»

The sound of a power cut ran around him. The house suddenly froze, every speck of dust frozen in the air, everything glowed with tiny burning points of light, as if thin threads ran through the space. Through these threads of light, smoke began to seep into the house, and people froze in unnatural positions, but their minds felt that time was not frozen, they were frozen. When all the smoke leaked out, it began to swirl in the kitchen, surrounding the participants of the events. A small trickle of smoke ran into the bedroom, where it enveloped Cabris and Jeremiah, and gently moved them to the kitchen, which at that moment began to transform. The refrigerator, table, and washbasin were gone. The ceiling flew up and smashed against the high beige vaults of the spacious hall. The walls also suddenly pushed off from each other and flew in different directions, increasing the space of the unknown place, which was still in darkness. The floor collapsed and turned to gray dust on the concrete floor of the huge hall. From the concrete floor began to grow columns inscribed with unknown characters, the vault was illuminated by a circular light source and this light began to pour on those present in the hall. Jeremiah sat huddled in an invisible chair, but his eyes were filled with fear. Cabris and Levent stood in the center, the Guards ' glittering runic circlet appearing on their heads, their gaze calm. Behind the Guards, Ekaterina and grandfather Vadim appeared as observers, not participants. To the right of the Guards appeared Oksana, grandma Pava and Costa. Right in front of them appeared a huge ancient scale, cast in gold. They hovered between the participants in the trial. And the trial began...

All the participants in the trial suddenly came to life. Grandfather Levent shot an angry glance at Oksana, but then the servants of Mithras appeared in a halo of light. They were tall translucent people, they had 3 eyes, long Golden hair that curled down to the floor and long white togas with Golden fibulae on their shoulders. They seemed to resemble each other like twins, but if you looked closely, you could see the strong differences in their facial features. The servant of Mithras spoke without opening their lips:

"We were summoned by the guardian of the worlds, Cabris, to establish the Truth. His brother was charged with a felony. Attempted murder of Damir's daughter. We will establish the Truth and the degree of guilt, the punishment must be assigned by the Guardians of the Worlds according to their Code."

Then one Of the servant of Mithras waved his hand in the direction of Jeremiah and a strange, unsightly stone appeared in front of him – an iron piece of some kind with a deep furrow that divided it exactly into two parts, and the entire surface of this stone is marked with deep recesses in the shape of a hexagon. Fire flickered across the stone, forming a pattern of hexagons.

"It is a Stone of Truth, - said the servant. – He will not allow the accused or anyone else here to lie."

Then another servant came forward and addressed the participants in the trial:

"The process is unusual in that it involves people who do not have the power, but, nevertheless, are inscribed in the history of two worlds. The court of Mithras is the truest court. No one can lie, all answers weigh the Scales of Truth."

The first servant turned to the accused.

"Jeremiah Milovan, you are charged with violating the Guardian Code. As well as treachery, malice, and attempted murder of Nea Kupeena, the Royal daughter of Damir. Do you understand the charges?"

"N-n-n -" - but Jeremiah couldn't lie, and a single scale caught fire on the strange stone in front of him, and the scale with the words "Guilty" sank a little lower. – "Yes."

"The accused tried to lie and this aggravates his guilt. So, let's hear the prosecution's side. What are you accusing Jeremiah Milovan of?"

"I am the mother of Nea Kupeena, accusing Jeremiah Milovan of betraying the Princess of another world, causing her evil intent and attempted murder."

"The accused, did you commit these acts?"

"N-n - n -" Jeremiah couldn't lie again and howled. "Yeah!

Suddenly, between the columns, the air thickened and ripples passed.

"The Mirror of Truth has awakened and wants to show all the wrongdoing of the accused. Even the ones that haven't been mentioned yet."

Where the air rippled, a color image appeared, like on a TV screen. First, the Mirror showed that Jeremiah was stealing things and money from the village children, then it showed a lot of small mischief: slashed Bicycle tires, throwing stones at the Windows, sugar in the gas tank of a snowmobile, etc. Then the mirror showed that he had ambushed three children at different times and pushed them through a gap in the veil. Jeremiah's family pressed their hands to their lips to keep from crying out in outrage and fright.

Then Nea appeared on the screen, and it is Jeremiah's hands that push the girl into the gap, where Constantine rushes after her. Then a detailed scene was shown, how Jeremiah stole the stone from his brother, how he deliberately spoiled the transition rune, how he told Nea the secret of the portal at the stele, how he stole the kindle at home, and how Nea went into the portal. Also, the Mirror of Truth showed that as a result of the corrupted transition rune, the girl on the other side of the portal fell into the clutches of the monster. Then the scales of guilt tipped to the limit, because there was not a single factor in favor of the innocence of the accused.

"Oh, My God! exclaimed the grandmother Pava. – It's A Wild Leshak! She is a prisoner of the Leshaks!"

"Accused, do you feel remorse?" - the servitor of the Mithraic cult suddenly addressed him, and Jeremiah could not hide the grin on his lips and could not lie.

"D-d-d... no!"

- The scales of Truth have shown that the accused is guilty on all counts, there are no mitigating circumstances for his actions, he does not feel remorse. Verdict - guilty! The punishment will be imposed by the current Guardian of the worlds- Cabris Milovan, according to the code of Guardians, what is the punishment for his crimes?

"Eternal exile To the world of Limb," - Cabris said. Catherine began to cry, and grandfather Levent turned away from the younger grandson, because he felt a strong disappointment and pain.

Suddenly the Mirror of Truth came to life again and showed everyone present a terrible picture of this world: a hazy, colorless world where the dead are not buried. A world without sun, filled with loneliness and suffering, there is eternal gloom and longing.

Smoke shackles appeared on Jeremiah's hands. Jeremiah was as if shackled and devoid of will power. Suddenly a thin black lasso appeared from an unfriendly portal. It wrapped itself around the boy's body and dragged him inside. Jeremiah was really scared. He tried to scream, his eyes filled with horror. But he could not change anything, his family turned away from him, so as not to see how the sentence was executed. Soon the lasso dragged Jeremiah inside the portal, another second and the boy fell to the barren, dead land of Limb. The portal disappeared, and so did Jeremiah.

"What Jeremiah did upset the balance between the worlds. We can't open a portal to the place where Princess Nea fell, " - one of the Mithra servant said. - "But we can open a portal at a safe point in the Middle Kingdom. Who will go to restore the balance of the worlds?"

"I!" - said Oksana.

"Excuse me," - said the second servant of Mithras. – "You are still forbidden to travel between worlds. We can't lift the ban without upsetting the balance even more. Someone else?"

"I'll go!" - Costa said loudly and clearly.

"And his grandfather!" - raised his hand, as in school grandfather Vadim.

The servants of Mithras looked at the grandfather and his grandson and said:

"You can go through the portal."

"I'll go with you," grandma Pava said suddenly. – You will be lost in an unknown world and it will take you a long time to find Nea. I am the best guide for this."

The servant nodded slowly and said:

"You can go through, but you can't go back. Once you arrive in your Homeland, you will fall under the spell of Avernus and become part of your world again."

"Yes. I agree," - said grandma Pava.

"Pavlina," - Oksana began to protest, but her grandmother interrupted her.

"Tani Kasa, I have lived a long and happy life. I want to go home and fight the curse of our people. And there is a Gaar that is in need of assistance of true people. My place, as always, is next to him."

The three travelers entered the portal and disappeared. The walls around the remaining participants in the trial went dark and disappeared, and they were back in the kitchen of the Milovan family. Oksana asked Cabris to keep up to date. After that, she left, and there was an oppressive silence in the Milovan family.

"Cabris, why did you do this?" - Catherine suddenly began to cry. – "He is guilty, of course, but this punishment is appalling and not just..."

"Not just?!" - grandfather Levent exclaimed. – "He's disgraced our family! The stain of shame will remain with us forever!"

"Levent, what are you saying, Jeremiah is your grandson!"

"I don't have a grandchild like that!" - grandfather Levent said harshly. – "You, Catherine, simply don't understand what it means to betray Jeremiah. You do not understand that he is guilty of terrible crimes, all the consequences of which will fall on our shoulders. Or rather, on the shoulders of Cabris."

"Yes, mother," - Cabris and his grandfather agreed sadly. – "Jeremiah's actions are a crime. I, as Guardian of the Worlds, am responsible for the actions of my family. I couldn't help but call the court, because then my punishment would have been more terrible."

"What are you talking about, son?" – asked the mother.

"According to the Guardian code, I am guilty of revealing the secrets of the Order. This is a crime, and although it has extenuating circumstances, I will be punished. Every Guardian is watched by a Reconnaissance, so I can't keep silent if a member of the Guardian family has broken the Code and broken the law. I will have to report to the Acolyte, where I will be sentenced."

At this moment, strange people appeared in the kitchen, who were covered in armor from head to toe. The runic letters on the armor glowed with a bluish light, and the helmet had iron fangs that did not match the armor at all. A bluish light shone from under the armor. The armor was so tightly fitted that not an ounce of skin was visible. It seemed that there were no people in the armor at all. They were soldiers of the order of the Guardians. The soldiers had been sent for Guards who had violated the order's Code, so Cabris was not surprised to see them. He held out his hands, and the knight simply passed an iron-gloved hand through the air, and the tromaglor chains formed on Cabris's wrists. Tromaglor - is a special magic alloy that was created by craftsmen of the Midlands. This alloy is used to make fetters for criminals, and it affects the Guardians in a special way-it deprives them of the powers of the Guardians of the worlds. Therefore, the soldiers of the order did not worry about the prisoner, he would not be able to escape in such handcuffs. Cabris had no intention of running.

"Cabris Milovan, you are under arrest. Let's go to the order's Berserker."

"That's right," - Cabris said, nodding to his grandfather and mother, and went through the portal that opened.

"What kind of rudeness! - Catherine exclaimed in exasperation. - Portals go to us as to their own home! Enough! Grandfather Levent, when will they get Cabris back?"

"Things are bad, Katya, - Levent said anxiously. – He was called to the Berserker, not the Acolyte.... It may not be returned at all."

"Berserkers, Acolytes, Guards, and this Order of yours! My head is spinning! I don't understand anything!" - Catherine asked nervously. - "Explain, grandfather Levent! What's happening?"

"Acolytes who serve as overseers of the Guards. They make sure that the young Guards do not want to violate the order's Code. Every violation is punishable."

"Acolyte, is this Cabris's boss?"

"Not exactly. Here's what you need to understand. Guardians of the worlds is a Secret order and it has its own complex hierarchy. When a novice comes to the order, he is a volunteer. After training, he becomes a Guardian. Cabris is the Guardian, at the bottom of the pyramid. And he's got a lot of bosses: Senior Guardian, captain of the Guards, Guardian of the order. And this is just the minor League. And there are two more. So, your son was called to the chief of the second League-a Berserker. A Berserker is like the commander-in-chief of all the troops. There is no one higher than him. That's the trouble. I'm afraid the order of Guardians regards Jeremiah's crime as grave. And Cabris will have to answer for it."

"But how do we know what's wrong with him?"

"We'll wait with you. In a couple of hours, if I don't hear from Cabris, I'll find a way to contact my former colleagues."

Cabris was taken to the secret castle of the order – a citadel Proctur that constantly moves through the dimensions. Only the Guards can enter the citadel. Here they train volunteers, here they are promoted, here they test, tempt, and improve the brothers and sisters of the order of the Guardians.

Cabris was brought to the citadel. There was an exit to the prison dimensions and Limb in the basement, but the portals were one-way and you couldn't go back through them. Then there was the first tier, the courtyard, the Armory, the training yard, the parade ground and 2 floors of the Guard training center. Also in the citadel there were 3 Watchtowers, where the Scouts and their espionage training center were located. Few people saw the scouts, because they followed everyone and were at the highest level of the hierarchy. The 4th floor was occupied by members of the League of Supervision and Justice. The 5th floor was given over to the order's Treasury. Here was the Bank, and all the revenues and expenses of the order were handled by the Treasurer. On this floor was not only the Treasurer, but also the Prior, who handled the order's training centers and new recruits, and on the 6th floor were the knights of justice and berserk. Berserk is a special position, he commanded all the battles, and participated in them. He is an ideal warrior who serves the guardian God Ba-Pef. The Berserker is no longer the master of his body, during the battle and when making especially important decisions, the God Ba-Pef takes possession of his body. And the most important in this pyramid was He-the Grand Master of the order. Few people saw him, because his circular office was in an invisible dimension. Sometimes the Grand Master met a Berserker or an Archmage. The Grand master could not appear in his true form, because there was a particle of Divine light in him that could kill with its power. Mostly it came in dreams to the Archmage, who was the co-founder Of the order of the Guardians. In his true form, only Ba-Pef, who is God himself, could speak to him. Also in the Citadel was also a Magic tower, where they learned to cast spells and was the office of the Archmage himself, one of the founders of the order of Guardians. They say that the Archmage has never changed, as if he is the very first founder of the order, who used magic to ensure his Immortality. The Archmage was so powerful, it is also able to communicate with Grandmagisters in its true form. Thus, the Acolyte was the chief of all the Guardians, Berserker was a military commander and headed the Justice League, Archmage – headed only by mages and magic, and the Prior – headed League Supervision, all of the scouts and spies were under his command.

Cabris was taken to the 6th floor In the Hall of Justice. This was a huge room that constantly contained the Divine mist, allowing the gods to take over the mortals. The Divine mist is the substance of the transition from the divine state to the human world and the body of the Chosen - Berserk. The floor Of the Hall of Justice is paved with green marble slabs, with a runic pattern of gold. To the right of the arched entrance to the Hall, there were long massive cabinets with mysterious books. Then there were 3 arched passages into the unknown, which were always closed with massive bars. In the middle of the hall stood a huge square column of Beloyar, a metal of unearthly origin. This mysterious metal was used to make armor and weapons. Beloyar had a unique, magical power of protection. On one side, the column was decorated with a long scarlet strip of fabric. At the base of the column was a Golden dais, on which stood a Golden throne with scarlet inserts of soft cloth. On either side of the throne were circular sources of light-spheres of bright blue cold light. On the throne sat empty armor from Beloyar, which was covered with strange writing, the language of which no one knew. On either side of the throne plinth were brass chairs that were as beautiful as the main throne. Each throne had a coat of arms representing Guardians, Justice, Magicians, and Supervision.

When Cabris entered the Hall, all the first men of the order were already seated there: the Acolyte, the Berserker, the Archmage, and the Prior. And along the walls stood the Berserker's Squires. Cabris's stomach lurched. The entire Council of the order was here, even the Archmage of the Order. Cabris thought that he was definitely finished.

Cabris was put before the full Council of the Order. The boy looked at them boldly and waited.

The Prior was the first to speak:

"Cabris Milovan, The order of Mithras warned us about what happened. The Order's Council has met to deal with your younger brother's situation. We know how Jeremiah found out our secrets. The order of Mithras showed us not only the trial, but also several of Jeremiah's memoirs. We are here to find out how much damage has been done, how much balance has been broken, and how to fix it."

"Your brother violated a code of which he had no knowledge, but he knew perfectly well that he was committing a crime and knew of the existence of the Guardian Code. Because of your carelessness, the balance of worlds has been disrupted, which is able to break the Veil and start the Apocalypse," - said the Acolyte.

Suddenly the fog in the Hall swirled and moved, and the Berserk suddenly arched and drew in a deep breath. Then his head dropped as if he were asleep, and a moment later his head rose, but it was no longer a man but a deity who was looking at Cabris. The Berserk stared unblinkingly at cabris, and then He said in a whisper that nearly deafened the audience.

"We have no power to decide his fate. I am instructed to inform you that the Grand Master will be arriving. He will tell you that he is waiting for this Guard. Close your eyes at the moment of arrival of the divine essence."

The fog in the hall suddenly froze and turned very pale, turning into a barely noticeable steam. The air rang, and the glowing spheres dimmed to a dot. The armor on the throne suddenly lit up with an unbearable light and came to life. The shoulders flexed, the armor rose, flexed its arms and legs, and returned to the throne.

"You can open your eyes," - said a wonderful voice in the hall. This voice penetrated to the very depths of consciousness and there was nothing to hide from it, as if the one who was in the armor became a part of everyone present.

"As you all know, the Grand Master rarely attends such meetings, but today is a special occasion. A boy named Jeremiah swung the balance of the Worlds violently. He was even able to influence the fate and change the design of two worlds. Now some of the prophecies have lost their power and a new destiny has been written. No one knows yet, but this will lead to the destruction of the Veil. Our Order must preserve the integrity of the Veil. This is our task. Some of Jeremiah's actions can't be corrected, which means we can't restore balance to the worlds."

Cabris looked directly into the slits of the armor's helmet, which glittered with a mysterious light, and said firmly:

"I am ready to take full responsibility for my family."

"I know, but the Council must test your resolve. The first task to correct your brother's misdeeds is to find his hiding place where he keeps the stolen belongings of other children in your village. You must return the items to their owners and try to repair the damage that your brother did to them. Then you will return to the Citadel to get new tasks. After we correct most of Jeremiah Milovan's misdeeds, you Cabris Milovan will have to pass 7 tests of loyalty. Then we will meet again. Now go."

Immediately after the Grand Master's words, the shackles fell from Cabris. One of the bars of the mysterious archways rose, and behind it shone a portal. The boy bowed to the Council and the Grand master, and with a firm step entered the portal. A moment later, he was standing in the courtyard of his house. His heart was pounding and he was afraid. Jeremiah-did something terrible, something so terrible that the Grand Master himself came from another dimension. Cabris felt that something was not being told to him, and that the cause of these events was much more complex and deeper than at first glance. The court did not tell about all the crimes of his brother, probably spared the feelings of his mother. Otherwise, there is no way to explain the trial of himself, which took place in the full composition of the top of the order of Guardians. If no one had noticed Cabris before among the hundreds of other guards, everyone now knew Him. And not everyone trusted him. Brother Jeremiah read the disapproval in the eyes of his fellow members of the Order as they led him into the hall of Justice. They must have already decided that he was a criminal like his brother. Heck! Jeremiah destroyed the entire reputation of the family! Cabris was in love with his business. He zealously honored the Guardian code and served faithfully, hoping for a career, but his younger brother had ruined his entire future. And at that moment, bitterness appeared in the Guardian's heart. He felt a strong resentment against his brother and he had a desire to destroy all his belongings in order to erase the memory of him from his memory. Cabris decided to fix everything that Jeremiah had done. Perhaps this will allow him to visit the prisoner. Cabris wanted to know why his brother had done all this, and deep down the boy didn't believe that his brother had done it all by himself. He did not believe that a 15-year-old could have committed such terrible crimes as those of which he is accused. There must be someone else involved, someone who had messed up the boy's mind and tricked him into doing all these things.

Cabris entered the house, where his grandfather Levent was waiting for him. He saw his grandson, burst into tears and hugged him.

"My dear boy, I didn't expect you to be all right. I thought I'd lost you forever. What about the Berserker?"

"I was in the Hall of Justice."

"You were tried In the hall of justice?! My God! In what composition?"

"All of them. Ba-Pef entered the Berserker and then came the Grand Master."

"What? – exclaimed in horror grandfather Levent. – Oh, no! History repeats itself. Oh, no! My boy, how sorry I am! I'm sorry."

Grandfather Levent clutched at his heart and panted.

"Grandfather? - Cabris was startled. - Grandfather! What's wrong with you?"

Catherine ran into the kitchen, saw the condition of her father-in-law, ran to the refrigerator, took out heart drops and dripped into a spoon. With a quick movement of her hand, she poured the medicine into her grandfather's mouth, and he breathed freely, but he was still weak. The eldest grandson took him to his room and laid him carefully on the bed.

"Grandfather, how are you?"

"Cabris, go to bed," - his mother said. - "I'll watch, Levent will now sleep for at least 4 hours. Everything will be alright. Go upstairs and rest."

"No, mother. I'll stay with my grandfather."

"Son, you just got back. We lost your brother. We all feel bad, but my grandfather is already in poor health to endure such adversity. I know how to help him, but you don't. Go to bed, I'll take care of Levent as usual. And then you can tell me how it went, and we can figure out how to fix it."