Chapter 6. Hatred

When I woke up the next day, I found the house in a commotion. As the maid explained to me, today was the day of my introduction to the house. There would be a party in the whole house in the evening, where my name would be announced and I would be introduced to my relatives.

The strange maids dressed me and left, leaving me sitting on the bed. Soon my orin appeared with small embroidered half-boots - my first shoes. Having put them on with the help of orin, I felt constrained. Orin helped me to get up, and I saw myself in the standing mirror. A plump little baby with short, slightly pointed ears, dazzling white skin, a round face and a very serious look was looking at me. I sighed and went to the hotel for breakfast. Breakfast also surprised me - a small plate of some kind of porridge and milk, which had already become commonplace, were waiting for me. Having looked for a spoon, I found it in my orin's hand - she had seriously decided to feed me. I probably won't stand out - let her feed me.

After eating the porridge, I felt like a wineskin, unable to move, but my maid solved this problem by picking me up and dragging me up the steps. After a while, she brought me into someone's huge chambers. A couple of minutes later, my mother arrived, dressed, as usual, in a provocatively frivolous outfit. Having made a sign for us to follow her, she opened the high double doors and entered the room behind them. It turned out to be an almost ordinary elite, very large study: in the far wall there was a narrow, less than half a meter, window, the side walls were lined with bookcases, literally crammed with books, on the floor lay a thick carpet, on which stood a desk, with neat stacks of some business documents and books. The walls were paneled with something very similar to varnished wood, and short magic lamps hung from the gray ceiling in the corners, glowing with a soft yellowish light.

Mother walked around the table with her smooth gait and sat down in a chair upholstered in dark leather. The resulting contrast of the white leather of the atar and the dark chair was mesmerizing. Orin, under Mother's heavy gaze, sat me down in one of the chairs located opposite her (my feet did not reach the floor) and froze behind me, barely breathing. Mother, slowly looking at me, said, sliding her gaze from under her fluffy eyelashes over the scroll lying in front of her on the table:

- Now, my son, you will meet your relatives, sisters and brothers. Although many believe that this is too early, I think, based on the report of your teachers, that you are ready to join the family. With all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Do you understand me, Asheras?

- Yes, mother.

- And also, from now on, you must call me at any meeting where anyone, including Orin, is present, except for the two of us, - Matriarch and nothing else. Have I made myself clear?

Here is the first iceberg.

- Yes, matriarch.

- Well, it's good that I wasn't mistaken about you. - Mother stood up from her chair and slowly walked towards me. Her gait made me momentarily forget where I was and who I was. Stopping next to me, Mother extended her hand to me:

- Let's go, Asheras.

Mother took me by the right hand and, bending to the left because my palm only reached her just above the knee, slowly led me out of the office. Walking along a long corridor, we entered a fairly large room. The first thing that caught my eye was that everyone present there were Atars.

Almost all of them were in pairs, engaged in conversation with their opponent, and, in my opinion, the room was a real social gathering, where everyone was almost equal in status and had known each other for a long time. The largest group consisted of a tall, white-haired High One, talking to black-haired young Athars, who were listening to his every word. My two older, ash-haired sisters were sitting in chairs opposite and glaring at each other. My two other black-haired sisters, much younger and shorter than those around them, almost children, were watching with interest and quietly commenting on their silent duel. Another tall, white-haired Athar was talking to my father. The last white-haired High One, dressed only in combat pants with numerous scabbards with weapons, was simply resting half-naked, sitting in a deep armchair and holding a golden cup in her graceful right hand, lying on the soft armrest. Her jacket was thrown dismissively on the high back of the chair. Her facial expression and body posture resembled that of an elderly, bored lioness, who was not at all amused by the games of the little lion cubs in front of her and who no longer gave a damn about the opinions of anyone, and especially the opinions of the tourists taking pictures of her from their cars.

But with the arrival of the matriarch and me, all conversations ceased, and the gazes of all those present turned to me. It was rather unpleasant, and I half hid behind my mother, which caused smiles from everyone. Mother led me out in front of everyone to the center of the room and, releasing my hand, loudly and solemnly said:

- I present to you the new member of our house - Asher-ras at I'si'tor!

After this, everyone present raised their right hand, palm up, and suddenly said in unison, looking at me:

– For the glory of the house of I'si'tor!

After which my mother led me to a half-naked priestess, sprawled in a chair and looking at me with interest.

- My younger sister, Arisna. Commands a squad of Deep Guard on the lower borders of our home, arrived only for the holidays and will soon return.

A group of four atars split up and approached us.

- My elder brother Areshtar, he serves there too. - The highborn white-haired man nodded his head slightly. - And this... - the mother pointed to the eldest guy of the three, - is my sister's eldest son Tedzirom, he studies in the temple of the goddess of the Furious Fight Rea... - The mother's finger moved to the middle High: - This is my son Axidor - he studies in the temple of the goddess of Eternal Sorrow Kriata, and this is my sister's youngest son, Rastier, he has not yet reached his first majority.

The Matriarch led me to two ash-haired priestesses. The left one stood up from her chair and, slightly bowing her head, said:

"My name is Isites, I am the daughter of Arisna and the great priestess of the House of Y'si'tor, holding the post of commander of the Fell Spear," she glanced behind us and became noticeably embarrassed. "These are the riders on hisnas and ristas." Even more embarrassed, she sat back down.

The priestess sitting on the right stood up and, snorting, said, looking at me condescendingly:

- I am Aresre, daughter of Taenori, our matriarch. I command the internal detachments of the Atretases and the divisions of the Arirs of the Children of Elos. In other words, the guard of the house and the reconnaissance and sabotage detachments.

The two girls also decided to introduce themselves first, without waiting for the matriarch to do so. The eldest stepped forward first, lifted her chin, and said:

"I am Siraz, daughter of Taenori, our matriarch.

The younger girl tried to copy the older one completely, but it looked a little funny when she did it. In any case, I managed to keep from smiling.

"I am Helasrei, daughter of Taenori, our matriarch.

Her voice was clear and so beautiful that it stood out even among the voices of the Athar. I wonder if it will become rougher over time or will it remain as beautiful and add melody?

Meanwhile, the father and his interlocutor also approached us, but did not introduce themselves first, patiently waiting for the matriarch to pay attention to them.

"These are my brothers: Ehaer…" her finger pointed first at her father's interlocutor, "and Sariharna, your father.

Well, yeah. It seems like no one here has ever heard of incest. Or maybe this rule doesn't apply to this people? After all, we are not people, and it is quite possible that due to the development of magic and the influence of the gods, this factor is not taken into account at all.

After all this, my family began to get ready to go somewhere. The servants who appeared collected the empty dishes. And my family, having waited for my aunt to get dressed, went in a disorganized crowd to the exit. Everyone walked slowly, so that I could keep up with the others. Fortunately, before I ran out of breath, we approached a wide staircase lined with granite slabs. Having descended it, we found ourselves on a wide covered outer balcony. Mother picked me up and placed me on a special stone step, but my height still did not allow me to look over the stone railing. Mother hesitated and picked me up in her arms. What I saw shocked me. We were on the third floor, and below us stretched the outer courtyard. It was completely occupied by Atretases equipped in polished armor.

- My faithful soldiers and servants! Yesterday our goddess blessed my son with the name Asheras. And today we welcome him into the family! Long live the house of Y'si'tor! For the glory of the goddess!

She's going too fast. I thought it would be like on Earth - a two-hour speech and all that... The grays digested the matriarch's speech for about three seconds, after which they barked out in unison, clearly and loudly:

– For the glory of the home!

I looked with interest at the energy auras and probes of the Atretases standing in front of me. There was not a single similar gift. Moreover, the auras differed in the intensity of their glow, activity and length of their probes. And also in color! What wasn't there! All the colors of the rainbow, black, green, gray, and a variety of shades.

- Let's celebrate this event! - Mother nodded to the atretas in a beautiful blue cloak embroidered with gold. He raised the staff he held in his right hand and, to my surprise, began to quickly draw a glowing blue spiral in the air with the top in the form of a curved claw. Having completed the tenth turn, he grabbed the center with his "claw" and, pulling down, pulled the spiral into the funnel. Mother bent down, put me on the floor and whispered:

- Stretch out your hand. Be patient, it will hurt a lot. Try not to scream or cry.

This is crazy! I hope I don't die. I stretched my hand out in front of me. The gray one in the cloak extended the funnel towards my hand and pierced my skin with its "claw". I didn't have time to feel the pain from the injection before the entire spiral began to be pulled under the skin. It was terrible. It felt like a red-hot string was being pushed into my body. I couldn't look at it and raised my head to the stone ceiling, starting to examine it. Suddenly, I saw two scarlet dots in the shadow at the base of the stalactite of our house. It was clearly someone's gaze. We looked at each other for only a moment. And then I gathered all the pain and rage into one impulse and tried to lash out at those eyes. Suddenly the pain disappeared, and it seemed to me that nothing had happened. But this calm lasted only a second. And then I saw how part of the stone vault began to glow, heating up. The area began to grow quickly and became quite large. I lowered my head in panic. Mother looked at me contentedly - the blue thread had practically been pulled under the skin, only a small piece remained, five or six centimeters. I pointed my finger upward and asked my mother:

- Matriarch, what is this?

The mother, along with all her relatives, raised her head and breathed out in amazement:

- The great chaotic dragon R'earesh has awakened!

Raising my head, I really saw the gigantic outline of a winged creature. Now cracks ran across its red-hot skin, from which tongues of flame, visible even from such a distance, literally splashed against the stone vault. The Matriarch, apparently strengthening her voice with magic, shouted loudly:

- Clear the courtyard! R'earesh is awake! Everyone leave the courtyard! Turn on fire protection! Quickly!

Chaos broke out in the courtyard. Everyone ran in all directions. However, no one took out their weapons, and I saw no signs of fear in any of the Athar around me. Only relief and even joy. I looked up in time to see a giant dragon, engulfed in crimson-orange flames, unhook itself from the vault and begin to slowly fall straight into the empty courtyard of the house. It was very beautiful. Before touching the stone slabs of the courtyard, the dragon slowed down, sharply flapping its wings. Because of this, a simply enormous protuberance of flame tore off the dragon's body and, having probably illuminated all of Alverist'as, spread with a roar across the vault, embracing the base of the stalactite of the house. The dragon, unexpectedly softly for such a large body, stood on the slabs of the courtyard and slowly approached us. Its head and folded wings were slightly above the level of the balcony. The monster inspired horror by its very appearance. It was covered with something like black horny plates, between which yellow flames burst out. Its head was triangular and seemed to be charred. In structure, it resembled a cat's - widely spaced flaming eye sockets implied excellent binocular vision. The mouth seemed to have no other expression than a grin, and was dotted only with black fangs growing from the outer part of the jaws. On the back of the head was a black shield, framed by something like horns. The ear holes were hidden behind more small shields. The neck, as it seemed to me, was noticeably longer than that of a cat, were it of similar size. Along the spine there were two rows of spikes spread apart, bent towards the tail. The structure of the paws also resembled a cat's, it even seemed to me that during landing the dragon released long sharp claws. There were spikes on the elbows of the paws as well. The dragon's wings were very similar to those of earthly bats. As it approached, the dragon spoke in a very deep voice:

- Greetings, Taenori, eldest daughter of Aerisnitari! I, Protector of House Y'si'tor, the Chaotic Dragon R'earesh, congratulate you on your worthy addition to the family! - The monster's heavy gaze passed over his relatives and stopped at me. The dragon did not speak with his mouth or jaws. It seemed as if his voice simply appeared in front of him. I was able to see a dense spell knot connected to the dragon's energy probes and located just below the jaws.

The mother, suddenly dropping to one knee, said, looking into the fiery holes of the dragon's eyes:

- I welcome you to our home, our guardian and protector. You have been sleeping for a very long time.

- Yes... - the dragon rumbled. - I would have slept on, but your son woke me. His gift is very peculiar. - The dragon inclined his head even closer. - It seemed to me that it was your mother who woke me. - The flaming gaze seemed to penetrate my very being. - Let him touch me, Taenori.

Mother placed me on a stone pedestal, and the dragon suddenly pulled a bright yellow forked tongue out of its mouth. All the surrounding atars recoiled from the heat. But I didn't feel it. Nothing had changed for me. I stretched out my hand and carefully poked my finger into the glowing orange flesh. The dragon's tongue was soft as foam rubber and very warm, but not hot. When I touched the dragon, I had a strange sensation all over my body. My gaze fell on the sleeve of my jacket – it was smoldering, but I didn't pull my hand away. But the dragon decided everything for me – having pulled in his tongue, he raised his head and rumbled:

- It has happened! I will have a servant again, Taenori! Rejoice!

The dragon quickly calmed down and said, looking at the matriarch:

- I will put my seal on him, Taenori. He has an unusually clear mind for his age. After the ritual, we must begin to teach him your magic. When he turns ten, bring him to me. I am returning back.

The dragon looked at me again and headed towards the center of the yard. I watched the gracefully receding colossus with interest. The dragon stopped, crouched and jumped, loudly flapping its wings as it flapped. It took off much more heavily than it landed, and at times literally wrapped itself in flames. Having latched onto the base of a stalactite, the monster quickly moved to a section of the vault directly next to the column of the house and froze, quickly beginning to cool. I turned my gaze from the ceiling to the yard - atretases were appearing from the passages and corridors and, trying not to take their eyes off the quickly cooling dragon, were forming up again.

- Our guard, the dragon R'earesh, has chosen a new servant! My son, Asheras, has been chosen as the ariry of Chaos! The time for revenge on our enemies will soon come! Let us be united, like a sword and the hand that holds it! - The mother began to broadcast some lofty nonsense again. However, she did not last long, and she dismissed the warriors, saying: - The feast will be organized here, in an hour.

The Atretases slowly began to disperse from the courtyard. The Matriarch immediately turned to us:

- You are all free, too, except you, Asheras. - Mother made a sign behind us. - Carry him after me.

Orin picked me up and we followed my mother, who was moving quickly through the corridors.

In general, I realized that everyone here, except for the Orins, wears a kind of mask on their face and, depending on who they communicate with, changes not only it, but also their behavior. These changes are very significant. For example, my mother, Taenori, had several of these "images": a calculating and cruel matriarch, a caring and cautious mother, and also a bloodthirsty warrior. Perhaps there were others, but I have not seen them yet, and perhaps for the best. I wonder what is hiding under them? A frightened girl? A mad priestess of her goddess? A naked mind, devoid of emotions? Somehow I no longer want to look under the masks…

The Matriarch led us into her office and, making a sign to my Orin, settled herself in her black chair. The maid, having seated me, left noiselessly. The Mother glanced over the papers on the table and looked into my eyes. Her hard gaze made me feel cold inside. She, grinning harshly, took a small black pyramid from the drawer of the desk and, placing it on the table, said:

- This artifact is designed for interrogating captured Atretases. The principle of its operation is simple - it determines the amount of faith, conviction in the words of the creature speaking them. If this indicator is low, the creature that has fallen into the zone of action experiences very strong phantom pain. It has its disadvantages and advantages. After long training, only an Athar can deceive it. Now I will activate it. - The Mother extended her hand and, stretching out her finger, touched the top of the pyramid. Responding to this touch, the pyramid lit up with a weak white light and immediately changed color to gray. - I will ask you a few questions. And you had better answer truthfully. So, who were you in your past life? - The Matriarch looked at me expectantly.

My insides froze. I looked at the pyramid. She had finally figured me out. So what? Nothing! I'll blame it on Ehayalin. After all, it was God's will, and Elos didn't kill me. I looked up at the matriarch. You want the truth? You'll get it...

- I was born in another world. There I was a warrior. I was betrayed and seriously wounded. When I was already dying, the goddess Ehayalin recruited me. She did not give me any tasks. She only told me to serve my home and people.

Short and clear.

The matriarch, who had been staring at the artifact, suddenly burst into laughter. Having calmed down, she said:

- It's quite in her style. To do something funny, not tell anyone and disappear. As if she wasn't the goddess of Cold Fear! I always thought that when it came to jokes we had Ichitos. But it seems that all gods are just facets of the Creator... - Mother remembered something and thought about it.

After waiting a bit, I decided to ask the question:

- What will be my destiny, matriarch?

- Don't worry about that. You're not the first, you won't be the last. I'll tell you more: your father is also such a recruit. We call you the Reborn. Only it was Ichitos who brought him. Our family is the most gifted by the ancestor in terms of magic. In addition, we are the only ones of all the Athars who can directly contact our gods. But we are going through hard times now... - My mother's magnificent face was distorted by sadness. - My house has five and a half thousand Atretases, we have almost twenty-three thousand Orins serving us - and for this entire army there are only twelve Athars. We are only the Fifth House. And do you know how many Athars the Fourth House has? Almost a hundred... I'll tell you more - if it weren't for our guardian, we would have remained only in old legends... We have been part of the High Council of Houses for almost a millennium now and then... That's why the dark gods help us little by little. And you are no exception. - My mother sighed, looking into my eyes. - After the holiday, they will begin to teach you the full program. The history of the house and the world, the political system, the customs of different nations, counting and much more... This knowledge is necessary for orientation and survival in the surrounding world. Also, Isites, as your curator, will teach you how to work with the Eternal Darkness, and one of the Atretas commanders will teach you the fundamentals of magic and the weaving of power knots and constructs. It seems like I haven't forgotten anything? Oh yeah! And how did you wake up the Ancient Guardian?

- I gathered the pain I felt during the ritual, pumped it up for free, and lashed out at his eyes!

- Not bad, not bad. You have a strong elemental part of your gift. That's good news. Our house has always been drawn to forces, not elements. And was he looking at you?

- Yes, mother. When I went out onto the parade ground, I almost always saw his eyes.

– What is he planning? The last Arir of the Ancient One was my mother… Be careful, Asheras, he is over thirty thousand years old, and he is a contemporary of the one who became the Supreme Goddess Elos… His power is enormous. Know, my son, that it was his intervention in the First War of the Peoples that forced the Light Eldar to flee to another continent… He is not entirely rational, so to speak, his logic is different, alien. But he needs us, just as we need him. By the way, so you know – he is not exactly a dragon… mmm… Not even that – he is not a dragon at all. You will learn more about him in the library and in history lessons at home. I recommend that you learn more about him in the near future, since you are his Arir. But for now, you are free. What we have discussed here is, in principle, not a great secret, but do not spread it to just anyone. Those who need to, will know.

The matriarch formed a strange figure with her fingers. Almost immediately I heard footsteps, and I turned around to see my orin.

- Cheer up, baby! - said the mother. - The worst is behind us.

Several of the matriarch's servants also entered the room. They were carrying what the mother wanted to wear, apparently as a change of clothes. If those strange silk strips could be called clothes. My orin picked me up and carried me to my chambers.

In my chambers they dressed me in a new jacket, replacing the rotten one. I think it's time to find out her name, otherwise it will be difficult to call her if something happens... Orin was just setting my small table in front of me with my portion of food that had already become boring.

- Orin, tell me, what is your name?

"Eran, my atar." The servant turned to face me.

- I ask you, when you are alone with me, do not call me Atar - only by my name. Is this possible?

- Yes, atar.

I winced. The maid covered her face with her hand in fear.

- I beg your pardon, Asheras.

The maid finished setting the table and turned to me:

- Please, Asheras.

Having quickly eaten my portion and washed it down with a milkshake, I watched as Eran quickly cleared my table. My head was empty and I wanted to sleep. It had been a stressful day. And then I had to drag myself to this damn party…

While Eran was cleaning, another Orin came in silently, put down a bundle, and left just as silently. The bundle also contained clothes, but embroidered with gold, and beautiful boots. Eran changed me and, picking me up, carried me down the corridor into the yard.

Near the exit, my mother and my aunt Arisna were discussing something, looking around. When we came closer, we saw two atretasi holding some large, dark-stained bundle in their hands, and I heard a fragment of the matriarch's monologue:

- ...damned creatures! We can't cancel the holiday anymore! Tell me, sister, how do they get into a house that is under siege?

- If I knew that... That's nothing. If I hadn't ordered the guards to be changed every half hour, we wouldn't have known about the infiltration for another hour. But now we're warned. - Arisna looked back at us. - And here's Asheras. I wanted to send priestesses in combat gear after them.

Something definitely happened. Mother turned to me and said:

- We have an intrusion. Someone or something has entered the house and killed the guard. - Mother nodded at the bundle. It's a corpse! - It's quite possible that he is not the only one. The killer is most likely among the Atretases. - Taenori looked at her sister and said firmly, looking at the two soldiers holding the body: - Secretly inform all squad leaders and send additional guards to all the Atars. We will deal with the body tomorrow. Proceed!

The soldiers nodded silently, and the one on the right, throwing the bundle with the body over his right shoulder, went inside the house. I managed to notice long dark hair falling out of the bundle. The soldier on the left went out into the yard and waved to someone.

- Maybe you are their target again? Second assassination attempt in recent days. A higher vampire and obviously a shapeshifter. What will happen next? A small inferno breach? A clever booby trap? Poison? - Arisna clutched her whip-rod so tightly that her fingers turned white. - I am glad I am not in your place, sister, and I would like to delay my reign for as long as possible.

"So that's the reason you care about me?" Taenori laughed loudly and nodded to someone in the back of the hallway. A second later, their father appeared from there, looking at the sisters with a tense expression. "Okay, let's play catch with bait. It's time to begin."

And how well the day had begun and how badly it would end. I glanced at my relatives – they all seemed to have changed their masks: caution was replaced by pride and arrogance with grandeur. Orin put me down on the ground, and my mother, taking my hand, went out into the yard.

We went out and found ourselves caught up in the festive chaos. It was a nightmare - what the hell was the matriarch doing? In anticipation of danger, I opened my gift, spreading swaying tentacles invisible to others around me. It seemed that we would be attacked right now. Oh, dark gods, give me strength! Echaialin, help me! Servants scurried around, setting up tables and laying out cutlery. I wonder if I can kill at all? After all, it will be the first time in this body...

As we passed a table with many jugs of something on it, I, having pumped up the energy probe with energy from the gift, to figure out what the goddess had done there, lashed out at a separate one. The jug unexpectedly broke into two parts, spilling its contents. Well, I have a murder weapon. I had never paid attention to energy probes before, obviously in vain.

Mother nodded in response to greetings. And even exchanged a few words with those she met. I extended the probes more than fifteen meters and almost completely extinguished normal vision, replacing it with magical vision. Oddly enough, I saw much better now. The world around me slowed down, I even saw the circulatory systems of those around me. But the radius of vision was small, no more than twenty to twenty-two meters, and beyond that there was impenetrable darkness. I did not even see the walls of the courtyard, but I felt everything around me. Looking inside the gift, I was convinced that the energy consumption was very low. Looking up at my mother, I saw that several energy nodes were hanging in front of her, and we were surrounded by an invisible thin sphere, fed by a black energy probe from an earring in my right ear. The guards were walking behind at a distance of four or five steps, also shrouded in similar protection.

"Now. Be careful," something inside whispered. I tugged at the matriarch's hand. "From above!" the darkness inside me screamed. I lift my head up, and my mother and her guards just look at me in bewilderment. A crimson blot quickly penetrates the sphere of vision. With a premonition of the irreparable, I grab the tables and chairs standing nearby by their legs with my feelers and unexpectedly easily throw them towards the blot. In that instant, the blot manages to cover half the distance. I embrace my mother with my feeler, literally twisting the gift, pumping up all the other feelers. I am overwhelmed by the pain from this, and I tear the floor slabs out of the floor, throwing them right after. Taenori tries to do something, but I forcefully throw her aside. The crimson blot passes through the tables, burning round holes in them. With a premonition of death and despair, I strike the probes around me - large fragments of stone slabs splash in all directions. The probes instantly gather them in front of me with another shield. The crimson crap, breaking through the slabs, gathers into a long spear, twisted like a spindle. In horror, I mentally call out to Ehayalin, and she answers! Someone else's will and power flows into me. Darkness bursts out of my mouth and in the remaining fractions of a second rushes like a stream to meet the spear. I additionally weave a thick rope from someone else's power and my probes and an instant before the collision of forces, I hit the spear from the side. There is no effect - the probes fly apart, destroying everything around. The next moment, the forces collide and begin to splash into a pancake. Black splashes fly in all directions. A rope separates from the stream of darkness and, coiled into a spring, aims at the floor and immediately straightens up, pushing me out from under the blow. It manages to move me only half a meter to the side, but that is enough for the crimson spear, having passed very close, to begin to bury itself in the floor. I managed to fly only three meters to the side, as cracks began to run in all directions, and several very large fragments were torn out of the floor by a crimson explosion. One of them flew at me.

Turning my head away from the approaching death in the direction from which the crimson shell had come, I saw the figure of an atretas standing on the roof of the passage and holding a strange pipe on his shoulder, similar to a grenade launcher. It was a pity that I had no strength at all – I could have gotten it. But what if? I called out to the firebird and was happy to hear its questioning cackle. If you can, kill him, I ask for nothing more. Suddenly I stopped in flight, along with the rock fragments. Time resumed its course. I was almost deafened by the screams of the wounded and the chaos around me. The shooter began to aim his weapon again. But he was not destined to finish the movement – ​​the nearest fragment became red-hot and, suddenly breaking away from its place, crashed into the shooter, covering him with white-hot lava, like dough. From the monstrous blow, the burning body was thrown in an arc over the roof, hiding it from my sight. A second later, the power left me and I fell to the floor. It seemed that I didn't even have the strength to breathe. The terrible pain in my overstrained gift made me want to howl. But the saving darkness did not come. All I could do was to roll my eyes madly from the pain and mentally pray to all the gods at once for loss of consciousness. The seconds seemed like an eternity in hell, and in addition, my whole body was twisted by a cramp. The torture was monstrous. Despite all my efforts, my mind could only think about the pain. I was drowning in it and began to pray for death. This is such a small thing for you... I beg for mercy... Let me go... I ask... I beg... Goddess, let me go...

Consciousness returned with a jerk, just - bam, and I'm lying on the bed. The first sensations are that my whole body seems to be floating, but I can't move. In addition, I don't feel my gift. I want to drink. I can't see anything. There is only darkness around.

- Drink. - I didn't recognize my childish ringing voice. It wasn't there, only a weak hoarse whisper. They gave me water, lifting me up a little. I took a sip with difficulty and when they put me back on the pillow, I was breathing heavily.

- Why can't I see anything?

The voice that answered me was unfamiliar.

- Your eyes are burst, sir. Don't worry - they will be restored tomorrow.

- Where is my orin?

- She died, sir...

She is gone... There was no sadness. Fury and hatred towards the shooter began to flare up inside. They mixed together and gave me the strength to continue the conversation.

- What about my gift?

"Our matriarch believes that he, too, will soon recover."

- This creature... died?

- A shapeshifter? Yes, he's dead... The matriarch wanted to talk to you. Should I call her?

- No. If you say that the eyes will recover tomorrow, then I'll talk tomorrow... - The busy forces ran out. I relaxed and fell asleep.

* * *

The Matriarch stood on the balcony, looking down at the deep, narrow crater in the courtyard from the second floor, her eyes narrowed. The entire house was illuminated by the brightly burning guardian from above. Beside her stood the one survivor of the two atretases of her guard.

- So he was just above me, on the roof?

- Yes, Matriarch. We noticed him too late, when Asheras attracted our attention.

– Did you find out what kind of weapon it was?

- You saw what happened to the shooter. What didn't burn, melted... The only thing our gunsmiths said was that it was a weapon like a combat staff. The weaves were destroyed after the carrier was destroyed. All they could say was that the Crimson Flame was used to pump it.

- Crimson Flame... And Asheras managed to resist it, calling on the darkness directly and almost dying because of it. And he was only a year old.

- It's a miracle that he survived. The healers say that only your timely intervention prevented him from dying. Healer Remroth swears that his body will be completely healed tomorrow and his gift will return then.

- Yes, he told me that too. And... I'm sorry about your brother's death. We didn't expect... that.

- Do not worry in vain, Matriarch. We all know what we are getting into. - Atretas bowed and took two steps back.

* * *

I was having a nightmare. I was aware of it, but I couldn't do anything about it. I was reliving that damned day, no doubt, and the short fight that marked it. At least it didn't have an ending. It was as if the darkness wanted to show me something, to emphasize something that had escaped my attention, but that I had seen nonetheless. After the fight was over, it all started over again. And so on, over and over again. Until finally I saw how, at the moment a crimson spear flew past me, one of the guards raised a black staff towards the shooter, but his neck was broken in a particularly cruel way by his partner. Having made sure that I had seen this, the nightmare stopped. Leaving me with only hatred, burning like a black flame inside me. If he was alive, I would kill him. Realizing this, I knew I was awake. Feeling the gift, I dove into it and called my bird. It cooed contentedly, happy to have my attention. I'm sorry, but if I can't handle it, you'll help me, okay? I opened my eyes. The soft yellow light cut painfully into my vision, forcing me to close my eyes again. An unfamiliar voice reached me.

- Are you awake, Mr. Asheras?

I tried to open my eyes again. This time it was easier. After blinking, I managed to identify the voice with the Atretas, sitting on the right and dressed in an unusual black cloak with a green embroidered badge opposite his heart. His hair was white as snow. I looked closely at his face – not him. Too bad. I whispered:

- Who are you?

- My name is Askaer, I am a healer.

- Will they take me to the matriarch or will she come here?

- This way. You'll be fed and dressed now. The Matriarch will be free by then.

Askaer made a sign in the direction of the guest house, and an unfamiliar white-haired orin came out. She fed me some kind of mushy liquid from her hands. Having finished feeding me, she left to return with a bundle of my clothes. I looked at my body - how thin I had become... Turning my head towards the healer watching me, I asked:

- How long was I unconscious?

- Today is the third day since the assassination attempt. You had extensive hemorrhages - your eyes, for example, had to be regrown.

Hatred kicked inside, like a child in the womb. If this creature is with the matriarch, I will not be lazy to appeal to the goddess once again. "Better come to me right away," whispered the Darkness from the gift. "Okay," I tried to direct this thought back. Oh, if only I could figure out the gift in the meditation. There is no point in dreaming. There will be only one attempt. I will give it my all.

While the maid was dressing me, I released the probes, like an octopus, pumping them with power from the gift. The probes, literally searching and feeling the room, unexpectedly came across three alien probes, belonging to the healer. But they were somehow sluggish and barely moved, practically not reacting to my touch. I suddenly realized that I was beginning to feel my energy probes as an inseparable part of my body, like an arm or a leg. I moved them. Pumped with energy, they obeyed perfectly. While waiting, I began to count them, gathering the counted ones into bundles. There were as many as sixty-three pieces. I carefully felt Askaer's aura and found several more probes, but they were all small and short. Having made up my mind, I poked the probe into his aura. He winced and began to look around the room in bewilderment. Oh gods, can't he see them? Perhaps now I really began to understand the difference between the Athars and the Atretases. When the maid finally dressed me, I sat back down on the bed, exhausted. Looking up at the healer, I said:

- When the matriarch comes in, leave us alone.

The healer nodded in bewilderment. I hope he's not an idiot and is just pretending...

Footsteps were heard. My energy probes froze, bent like scorpion tails. I won't turn on my magical vision in advance. I just won't be able to see my target's face. I wouldn't want to kill a random warrior or priestess.

The door opened and my mother came in, dressed more than casually as usual. Askaer stood up and nodded to her in greeting, heading for the exit. And the one I was going to kill followed my mother. Recognition came instantly. I dove into the gift, simultaneously activating my magical vision, and called upon the Darkness. It responded almost immediately. But I did not attack - my mother was in the line of fire. I decided to attack at the moment when there would be at least two steps between them. And the traitor decided to give it to me, stopping at the door and continuing to play the role of a guard. My mother took one step to the side, smiled and began to say something, then raised her leg and took the other. In that second, I decided not to kill him right away. It was obvious that he was not working on his own. The expression on his face began to change at the moment when I fired all my probes at him. I aimed close to the body, so that the tentacles, having stuck into the wall, would press him to it, as if with open scissors, and into the joints of the arms and legs - he should not move. One should have pierced his cheeks, knocking out the side teeth and tearing off his jaw - what if there was poison in his tooth or something else? My attack was swift, his defense lasted only a moment and burst. The tentacles pinned the traitor to the wall, a side blow to the jaw almost tore it off, and it hung only by a few muscles and skin. Blood gushed. Askaer froze in fear in front of the threshold, staring at the crucified and fixed Atretas. Mother screamed at me:

- What are you doing, Asheras? Let him go! - and began to weave something deadly in my direction, not seeing that the traitor had also begun to weave something. I saw the knots themselves, but I did not see the probes. Not knowing what it was, I lashed out at the knots of both weaves with the free probe. The mother's simply melted, and the traitor's - slapped loudly, knocking him unconscious. The mother began to weave knots again, but a dozen at a time. I raised my hands worriedly and quickly said, cutting off my vision - the traitor was unconscious anyway:

- I saw him kill the second guard by breaking his neck!

The mother, turning incredulously to the crucified atretas, said:

- It can't be that he killed his brother. Are you sure?

I'll tell it like it is.

– The Darkness showed me this...

A dozen fully armed white-haired priestesses, led by Arisna, burst into the room and stared at the four of us in bewilderment. Mother slowly turned her gaze to them and said, addressing me:

- Let him go.

I pulled out the feelers, grabbed his body with them across the torso, and lowered him into the arms of the first priestess I came across. Looking at this, the matriarch said in an expressionless voice:

- Put a terrast collar on him, treat his wounds and take him to the interrogation room... Keep an eye on him and don't let any of the commanders get close. Only athars are allowed in. He killed his brother and most likely, either himself or with accomplices, let the shapeshifter in. Any atretas who tries to get to him will immediately become a suspect in complicity and must be detained. Do not let him commit suicide under any circumstances. If he stops his heart, notify me and continue resuscitation until I arrive. Try not to let him move, firmly holding him. Notify and summon Sariyeharna. Arisna, after Sariyeharna arrives, begin the interrogation. Are my orders clear? - A solid nod was her answer. - Carry out.

The healer tried to get lost with them, but the matriarch's shout stopped him:

- Askaer, call Ehaer to my office.

As he hurriedly disappeared, the mother made a sign to the maid, who was hovering uncertainly in the guest house, attracting her attention:

- Take Asheras with me to my chambers, and let them clean up here.

Mother left my apartment, and the white-haired Orin, taking me in her arms, followed her. On the way, I dove into the gift, regretfully noting that there was less than a sixth of the energy left from the maximum filling. And that meant I couldn't withstand another battle – the appeal to the Darkness and the bird, it seemed, also devoured energy, and another appeal to the goddess would send me to the grave… However, energy was flowing out of the multi-colored spheres surrounding the gift, like fog, little by little condensing the central area. It was mesmerizing, in addition, it seemed to me that the gift was filling faster from my attention. I emerged from the gift in time to find the maid seating me in a chair. The Matriarch was already sitting at the table and said, looking at me:

- Leave us.

For a second I even thought that she was talking to me, but the maid who disappeared as if by magic dispelled my doubts. Mother leaned back in her chair, looking at me with interest. Obviously, we were waiting for my uncle or the results of the traitor's interrogation. I leaned my back against the armrest of the chair I was sitting in and closed my eyes. Hunger stirred slightly inside me. I thought I had eaten recently? However, a lot had happened since then, and exhaustion was making itself felt. The door opened and Ehaer entered the office, dressed in a doublet embroidered with gold and silver with a high and strict collar. His hair was, like last time, caught in a tight white ponytail, entwined with black silk ribbons. In a word - perfect. Having greeted the matriarch, silently bowing his head and raising his right hand palm up, he, having waited for Taenori to nod in response, walked to the empty chair to my right. Mother, looking at me, said:

- Ehaer, the culprit of the previous turmoil has come to his senses. And immediately captured my guard, Taris, accusing him of killing his brother. And I am inclined to believe him. Taris is now being tortured by Arisna and Sariharna. But I called you for another reason. We were then discussing what could have caused such destruction and how you defended yourself, Asheras. We did not come to a common opinion, Asheras. In addition, just now, when capturing Taris, you used something unusual. I wonder what it was? In general, tell us what happened then, in your own words, what you saw and did.

She fell silent. I sighed and released the probes. Not filled with energy, they moved sluggishly.

- As we walked, I released my energy probes and turned on my vision. And then the Darkness inside the gift whispered to me that there would soon be an attack, and said that it was from above. I poured everything I had into the probes and threw them at the crimson blot, two nearby tables, threw you aside, matriarch, tore the slabs out of the floor with the probes and added them to the tables. But it was no use. I smashed the slabs around me with the probes and assembled another shield from the fragments. And then I prayed to the goddess, and she answered. Darkness flowed from my mouth, but when that didn't help, she pushed me out of the way of the crimson spear, and then I saw how this Taris killed his brother, who was already aiming at the shapeshifter with a black staff, breaking his neck. I turned to my bird, and it killed the shooter with a hot stone. Then an ocean of pain and... that's it. "I looked questioningly at my mother.

"Amazing," Ehaer said. "For your information, we Dark Eldar call energy probes…" He smiled slightly as he said these words, "ters. I understand that you are a Reborn, but we must adhere to the general terminology. How many ters do you have?"

– It was sixty-three in the morning.

After my words, Taenori's jaw dropped, and Ehaer immediately became serious and asked again:

- You are sure?

The corner of my mouth twitched:

- I can recount, but I'm sure.

Ehaer leaned back in his chair:

- Taenori, that explains everything! The assassination attempts weren't aimed at you! But at him! - He pointed his finger at me and jumped up excitedly, running around the office. - Oh, dark gods, he's more than equal to you, me, and his father. Oh, Elos, why wasn't he born a hundred years ago? We would have crushed everyone with our bare might! And we wouldn't even break a sweat! If only... If only... And now he'll become just a small shadow of hope under the scorching sun of our enemies... And naturally, they've stirred... Just like then...

He calmed down and sat back, covering his face with his hands. His mother looked at him with pity:

- Do not be sad, my brother, we will take revenge. And our revenge will be terrible... - She turned her gaze to me. - You will be guarded constantly until we find out who helped Taris. Do you mind?

- I'm even glad, matriarch. I just want to know one thing - how did my orin die?

- Eran was crushed by debris. Tomorrow we will call upon the goddess Heath in our sanctuary of Kriata and ask her and Osir to lead her and Osir's souls to the departed. And the corpse of the shapeshifter and the fragments of his weapon will be taken to the Supreme Temple the day after tomorrow. Let the goddess's arirs figure out what the emissary of Chaos was doing in our house!

"Don't blaspheme the goddess, Taenori," Ehaer said quietly. "If it weren't for her, you'd already be dead and tomorrow Arisna would be carrying your body to the sanctuary…"

- Yes, but... - The bracelet on the matriarch's right hand lit up, and she frowned and hissed a curse. Turning her gaze to us, she said: - Taris died during torture! - She glanced at Ehaer. - Guess how! Well? You have one try! What and who can do so that the prisoner cannot be split?

Ehaer turned so pale that his white skin became whiter than chalk.

- Really... Illithids... Again?

Illithids. The flames of hatred flared up with renewed vigor. I have a goal…

- Arisna is tearing and throwing... Sariharna hisses, saying that Taris only laughed madly during the torture, and when Arisna called upon the Darkness in a rage, his head... - Mother snapped her fingers expressively, - burst, splashing her from head to toe with scraps of brains.

- I don't want to catch her eye...

- Where would you go? I have announced a council of the priestesses of the house, and you will be present. All the athars of our house will be there. - Mother turned her gaze to me. - I understand that you have not yet fully come to your senses. But this is necessary. In light of the current problems.

I lowered my head.

- I understand, Matriarch. I'm just hungry again. Order me to be fed.

"Of course, Asheras." The mother touched the sign on the bracelet, and literally a second later an orin from the matriarch's retinue entered. "Bring food for Asheras."

Orin, just as silent as she had entered, left, closing the door behind her. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. My ters, having lost control, like the tentacles of an octopus, began to explore the space and the athar around them. They decided to become aware of Ehaer first. A real battle broke out, in which the white-haired Eldar suffered a quick defeat. It was even funny. I had once seen a kitten fight with its mother cat. So here Ehaer acted as a kitten. Half of my tentacles held his ters, and the other half felt his aura. It was strange. In his aura, there were mainly only four colors - white, black, gray and green. All other colors were represented only by weak inclusions that floated on the surface of his aura, like on a soap bubble. I opened my eyes and decided to ask:

- I've been wondering about something for a long time. Why are auras painted in different colors and what does it affect? ​​- Looking at the heavily breathing Ehaer, I remembered that I was still holding the teras of his gift, and immediately let them go, completely drawing in my own.

The matriarch glanced sideways at her brother and said:

– The colors of the aura show the predisposition and fullness of the gift of a certain force or element. Black – Darkness, white – Light, gray – Death, green – Life. These are the four main forces. Below in the hierarchy are the elements: brown – Earth, blue – Water, orange – Fire, colorless – Air. There is also an inseparable pair of Equilibrium – Order and Chaos. On the border of all these forces, there is a huge palette of mixtures of everything that I named. They are called protoforces. Each of them also has its own color. But not even every athar has access to them. Their color, as a rule, shows which forces or elements were mixed. But this is not always the case. Asheras, if you see Ehaer's aura, you should notice blue blots on its surface. – Having waited for my nod, the mother continued: – Ehaer is a master of the Ice Flame – this is one of the protoforces that arose at the junction of Fire and Death. And there is more Fire in this mixture. As you know, all the atars of our house have access to the protoforce, but other houses have problems with this. By the way, my sister has the Ghost Flame, as do all her daughters and sons. There are an incredible number of protoforces. Our house has long been drawn to Fire and mixes it with everything possible. Just listing the most famous ones would take a lot of time. Mixtures of three... um... parts are very rare. There are only four such protoforces known - Shadow, Blood, Ice and Crimson Flame. But I want to tell you one thing: each of the protoforces is extremely destructive. How can I explain it to you more simply... Okay, I'll explain it the way my mother explained it to me. - The Matriarch moved her hand, turning her palm up. Almost instantly, a sphere woven from tongues of fire appeared above her hand. - This is a "fireball". The simplest spell of the Fire element. It is pumped with a minimum amount of mana, you call it energy. This spell is recognized as standard. The minimum amount of mana spent on its activation is equal to one erg. - Mother moved her palm, and the fiery sphere silently collapsed and disappeared. - When such a "fireball" explodes, this table will be blown to pieces. This is an elemental spell. If I use a similar spell of force, then not only this, but also the neighboring rooms will be completely destroyed. The ceilings between the rooms will simply be demolished. True, the minimum pumping of the Dark Sphere will take more than twenty ergs of mana. But the effect will be worth it. If I try to pump this spell with the protopower available to me, I will spend five times more mana, but the effect will be terrible. By the way, you have already encountered protopower. Yes, yes. This crimson spear was pumped with Crimson Flame. Protoforces have many shortcomings. And the main one is that they are very difficult to defend against. No matter what spell you charge them with - even the Sphere of Protection, even the Dome, it's all the same - something destructive will come out. Even if you take Ice and encase yourself in it - Death will freeze everything around... There is an opinion that each protoforce contains Chaos and Order. And it is this pair that distorts everything it touches.At the moment, four worlds of proto-forces are known - the World of Crimson Flame, the World of Ice, the World of Shadow and the World of Bloody Swamp. Eerie places, saturated with their proto-forces through and through. They are full of mana, and the creatures living there are monstrously strong and nightmarish in appearance. Many of them are more or less intelligent. It is unknown how, but dragons got into these worlds and under the influence of proto-forces they changed, becoming creatures many times stronger than ordinary dragons. Thank the Darkness that the Creator fell asleep long before they became independent proto-forces. Otherwise, in addition to the Hellish Universe, everyone would have had four more unstable Universes, with their own wars of rulers in each... - Mother thought about something and, looking at her bracelets, said: - However, we will talk in more detail later, and your teachers will be able to tell you some things.

- Matriarch, when, in light of current events, will my training begin?

- As soon as you get better.

The door opened and a maid came in carefully, carrying a tray with my food. After feeding under the silent approving supervision of my mother and the melancholy wandering gaze of Ehaer, I wanted to sleep. But as soon as I thought about it, the door swung open and Arisna entered, her face distorted with rage and dark stains on her clothes. My father followed in, in full armor and with a battle mask on his face. My mother looked at him and said:

- Take it off. I don't want everyone to think that we are fighting at home. Mind you, I don't mind the guns, although I think you should follow your brother's example.

Sariharna took off his mask and looked askance at Ehaer, who had only two short hip swords as weapons, with obvious doubt, and said:

- For him, as the strongest mage of the house, this is forgivable. For me, such an attitude can come back to haunt me...

- Don't play the poor guy any more than necessary. Do I need to remind you how many weapons I shook out of you in my bedroom? In my opinion, the only place you haven't stuck even a small dagger is your ass! Oh, dark gods! Well, tell me, why do you keep poisoned needles in your mouth inside the house? Oh, it's no use. You can't be changed. - Mother turned her gaze to Arisna: - Calm down, sister, is this the first time? You serve in the Deep Guard! For you, spilling blood is like water. Yes, looking at both of you, one would think that we were attacked and now the second ring of defense is being stormed! Oh, goddess, you have exchanged three hundred years, and still like children!

Arisna sighed and, sitting down in a free chair, said:

- I haven't seen anything like this for two hundred years, sister. Since the last skirmish with the illithids. I thought it was a misunderstanding: now we'll drop Tears of Happiness into Taris's eyes, and everything will be cleared up... - the white-haired priestess shook her head slightly. - But he started laughing and to all questions - only mad laughter. In order to break through the mental block back then, during the war, Aerisnitari called the Primordial. But as soon as I reached for her - his head simply burst... Taris served in your personal guard for more than forty years. Damned Lords of Hell! Who can you trust after that? And you reproach your brother for having an extra weapon. I know one thing: I will not sleep in my own place, but in the barracks with our officers and in chain mail. Or I will go to the hisns, asking for a warm side. And I advise you all to double your personal guard...

- There is a grain of truth in your words, sister... Taris could not act alone. I agree with increasing the personal guard to four priestesses. We will select them from different dozens and begin checking all atretases with the Primordial Darkness.

- All five and a half thousand? Maybe we should check all the Orins too? With the slaves to boot.

- Well, at least personal guards, commanders, their deputies with the first blades and initiates, the most powerful magicians first of all. There won't be that many of them - five or six hundred.

- Now that's acceptable. The five of us will check fifty to sixty a day. I suggest we start with personal security now. If we hurry, we won't have to spend the night in the hayloft...

The door opened and a white-haired orin entered, letting in my older siblings, led by another of my mother's brothers, Uncle Areshtar. Exaggeratedly polite and dressed in a cloak with a deep hood, he gave the impression of a strict teacher leading his lazy students on a tour. My two older sisters seemed to be copying Arisna in their manner of dress, and my brothers were dressed in the style of Ehaer - silver camisoles with the sign of the house opposite the heart. The office became a little cramped. The matriarch rose from her chair and said, waiting for the door to close:

- Well, now that everyone is here, I will tell you the reason for this gathering. There is no point in hiding certain facts. So, my youngest son, Asheras, is a Reborn. His patron is the goddess of Cold Fear, Ehayalin. In addition, he has the strongest gift in the history of the house. At the moment, he has sixty-three fully developed tera… - after these words of the matriarch, there was an uproar. The mother raised her hand, calming her relatives. - Ehaer and I believe that both attempts on my life were directed not at me, but at him.

If before everyone was looking at me, now my skin itched from their glances.

- Today, an hour ago, Asheras captured Taris, my guard, on suspicion of participating in the latest assassination attempt and murder of his brother. His accusations were confirmed. When he tried to interrogate him with Tears of Happiness, Taris began to laugh madly, and when he tried to summon the Primordial Darkness, his head exploded. As many of those present know, only ancient illiths have the skills to create such an effect. There is a right to exist to hypothesize that Taris did not act alone. In connection with this, we must double our personal guard and check them today with the summoning of Darkness. I also convened a council of the priestesses of the house, where I will tell most of the truth. So that they also keep an eye on each other. In the near future, we must check all the atretases occupying key positions.

I yawned. I needed another bite to eat and a trip to the toilet… My mother looked at me and said:

- Okay, let's go. They should have gathered by now.

The voice of Darkness came from inside the gift: "I will help. I will tell you which of them is under control."

I looked at the matriarch, who was just passing me, and touched her leg with my hand. The mother stopped and looked at me with interest.

- The darkness says it will tell who the traitor is... - I closed my eyes and dove back into the gift. With difficulty concentrating, I sent a thought into the darkness. "How? And what do I need to do?" The answer came immediately: "Just watch. I will tell you who it will be." I opened my eyes, with difficulty emerging from the darkness of my gift. - She will tell. She said to watch...

The matriarch looked back:

- You heard. Be prepared, we need them alive. These are not dancers who can be slaughtered on altars indiscriminately - these are priestesses. The backbone of our army and home. I hope everyone understands this? - Mother turned to me. - When we leave, look at the guards. If anything, tell me quietly.

Mother touched the bracelet, and it responded with a shimmer of multicolored lights. The Matriarch turned and headed for the exit. Her relatives followed her. An Orin from Mother's retinue came up to me and picked me up. I looked into my gift and was pleased to see that it was two-thirds full. Turning my attention to the spheres rotating around it, I finally understood what it was. All eight colors of the forces and elements, named by the Matriarch during her short and incomplete lecture, were here. I wondered what the gift itself symbolized? Order? Chaos? Perhaps all of these. I emerged from the gift to find that we had arrived in a large hall occupied by a small group of white-haired Atretas priestesses. I called out to the Darkness: "How are they? Are they all right?" The answer came immediately: "Everything is all right here." I looked at the Matriarch and shook my head. Mother narrowed her eyes and, looking at me and the Atretases a couple of times, said, addressing them:

– As you know, Taris was arrested today on suspicion of murdering his brother. However, during interrogation, he committed suicide. We believe that Taris was directly involved in the recent assassination attempt. There is a very high probability that he did not act alone. My son Asheras is currently in contact with the Eternal Darkness. She promised to tell you who the traitors are, if there are any, of course. You will have to detain them if there are too many traitors for us. Know that one of the ancient illith most likely worked on them. And only the Eternal can help them. Therefore, do not kill without necessity. Is the situation clear?

The priestesses, as if on command, knelt down on one knee and raised their right hand, palm up.

- Yes, matriarch.

- Let's go.

Mother left the hall, and we followed her, and then the guard priestesses. We walked along the corridor and entered a huge interior room that looked like an amphitheater. I looked around at the walls decorated with bas-reliefs and statues depicting priestesses, and heard the Darkness: "Here they are." My eyes stopped obeying me, and I stared at the four black-haired priestesses standing in our path. I prayed: "Don't look at them - they'll suspect something." They are so young... My eyes obediently returned under my control, and I immediately began to search the faces of the other priestesses. "Is there no one else?" The answer was short: "I don't feel anything." Meanwhile, the Matriarch climbed onto the stage and began to broadcast something. I didn't even really perceive one word completely, feeling the faces of the priestesses and controlling the first four. I look into the gift: "Will you help me?" The answer intrigued me: "Even more. I am, as they say in your world, investing something in you. Don't be afraid – it won't hurt. And yes, I will help you with the priestesses. Get as close to them as possible, when enough is enough, I will attack all four. Do you understand?" Emerging, I looked at my father, and he looked at me. I nodded to him and, turning around, said to the orin holding me:

- Now we go back the same way. When I attack, you stand still. Got it?

- Yes, atar.

- Go. Know that they are on the right. Four black-haired young priestesses.

The maid walked back down the aisle. I literally felt my relatives tense up and Orin's hands go numb as she holds me. There are ten steps left to the group of priestesses - I release all the Teras and pump them with power. Five steps - the Teras hang like living bundles of tentacles above them. Four priestesses look at me, not realizing the impending danger. Orin raises her leg for the last step. I activate my magical vision and don't even look at the four, albeit unwitting, traitors. The perception of time stretches. Orin touches the floor with her heel, and I attack. There are fifteen Teras for each priestess. They are entwined like cocoons, and with one jerk I pull the priestesses towards me. They try to create some spells, but they don't have time. When there is less than a meter left to me, darkness covers us all with a silent explosion of black fog. Seconds of pitch darkness. There are surprised cries, the tramp of running feet, the rustle of weapons being pulled from their sheaths. The darkness quickly dissipates, and I see how it is drawn into the eyes of the priestesses lying on the floor with their heads towards me. "Stretch out your hand," the Darkness whispers. I stretch it out and see how the skin and muscles on my hand part, practically dividing the hand in half. Not a drop of blood flows from the terrible wound. "But now it will hurt!" - the whisper of the Darkness is barely audible. And she begins to whisper terrible words in an ancient language. I hear every sound of her voice. From a barely audible whisper, the voice grows, turning into a loud scream. The echo of her voice walks inside me, repeatedly reflecting and overlapping, turning into a terrible rhythmic roar. Suddenly everything stops. The darkness whispers the last word and squeezes my divided hand into a fist, from which four black drops drip, smoking with darkness. They freeze in the air, and then rush towards the lying ones. Stopping above the prostrate priestesses, they fall on their foreheads, instantly being absorbed into the gray skin. The priestesses' bodies immediately arch and relax just as abruptly. The control of the force over those around them falls, but none of the Atretases move, and those standing nearby barely breathe, fearing to damage my plans or concentration. The matriarch pushes her way into the circle and kneels. She wants to say something, but the next moment the bodies begin to change. First, the skin quickly turns white, becoming the same color as the Athars, and then the hair becomes whiter than snow. All four begin to breathe and, opening their eyes, twisting with cat-like grace, kneel before me and pronounce in chorus:

- Give the order, lord.

My left eye starts twitching from the Darkness's rumbling laughter. The laughter stops, and the Darkness whispers: "They'll take care of your security, otherwise I don't have time to deal with you all the time." And the feeling of boundless power goes away, leaving only weakness and dizziness. Mother stands up, looking at me questioningly. I look at my hand - there is no wound, only a thin scar reminds me of it. My voice is weak and quiet, but in the absolute silence it is heard by almost everyone.

- My matriarch, the Eternal Darkness said that they would serve me and protect me. Of the priestesses present, there are no more with altered consciousness. All the rest, I'm afraid, will have to be checked according to your plan. The call of the Eternal has greatly exhausted me.

My eyes began to close. With difficulty keeping myself conscious, I heard the matriarch giving orders:

- Starting tomorrow, everyone not present here will be checked by calling on the Eternal Darkness. Do not talk about what happened here to those who were not here. Discuss what happened only with those who were here or who passed the check. The house remains under siege. Do not let anyone out of the house who has not yet passed the check. Mages, commanders of dancers and raiders must be under constant surveillance until they pass the summoning ritual. Are the orders clear?

The priestesses of Atretas barked something affirmatively. I turned my gaze to the kneeling white-skinned and white-haired priestesses awaiting my orders. And what do they expect from me? Oh, let's not be clever - I don't have a servant.

– Protection and care for me...

After these words I felt that my strength had finally left me. My eyes closed and I sank into a dreamless darkness…