Chapter 12.

The matriarch looked around at the elders of the house gathered before her and said in a low voice:

- You should know, Asheras was attacked during a hunt - he died, but his priestesses survived. The attacker was the House of Khitan. The full, reinforced Khitan tatrett was destroyed, but our losses were also great - high-ranking and most loyal commanders were killed: Atere and Arichitos. - Ehaer turned deathly pale and hid his face in his hands. Sariyeharna held on to his "mask". Areshtar squeezed the armrests so hard that they creaked. Arisna's mask of imperturbability and indifference cracked - her face distorted with hatred, and she hit the armrest with her fist:

- Damn it!

- War again? - Areshtar pulled himself together and leaned back in his chair, resting his head on the headrest. His gaze wandered around the room, not stopping for a second. It seemed as if he was saying goodbye to the world around him. - We may not be able to withstand another war...

"What about Isites?" Arisna interrupted, a look of alarm flashing across her face.

"She was seriously injured, lost her arm, and is now unconscious… The healers promise to quickly get her back on her feet.

Arisna sighed with relief. The Matriarch continued:

- Be prepared for anything. It is quite possible that a war will begin soon. The last one – for our home.

Her voice died away in the silence, through which only the grinding of Areshtar's teeth could be heard.

On this note the council ended.

The Ataris slowly dispersed in all directions.

Sariharna and Ehaer walked together to the residential block – their quarters were located close to each other. Breaking his brother's thoughtful silence, Sariharna said:

- Do you think that it was a coincidence that Asheras was intercepted during a simple hunt?

Ehaer shook his head and answered quietly:

- No. I am sure that this is not a coincidence. - He glanced sideways at the corridor from which they had come and added: - I think that war will soon begin and I will not be able to get away from commanding troops directly on the battlefield... I will go to inspect my support tatrett... In the name of I'si'tor! - He raised his right palm up and, having waited for his brother's response, went away towards his chambers.

Sariharna also went to his room. Entering his bedroom, he hung up the guard spell and took from a narrow bookcase a book called "Principles of Intuitive Construction of Power Spells." Atar sat down at his desk. Opening it to an engraving, he took out a thin black stick and began to write in the blank space, the size of a quarter of a page.

The short words of the language of death were perfect for composing a message. Sariharna slowly began to write the words: "Asheras has been killed. Your tatrett has been completely destroyed. Atere and Arichitos have perished. Isites is seriously wounded, but survived. Awaiting instructions."

Having finished the message, Sariharna put a tricky squiggle at the end. Immediately after that, the written words disappeared. Sighing, the athar slammed the book shut and was just about to put it back in place, when the next moment something resembling a shadow knocked him off his feet and literally crucified him on the wall, nailing his hands and feet to the wall with daggers with a wavy blade. In front of him, a figure in rich full armor of an atretas priestess appeared out of nothing.

She quickly snapped a matte-black silk collar on his neck and with great speed jabbed dozens of thin steel needles into the hanging Sariharna. Having critically examined her work, she unclenched the convulsively clenched jaws of the crucified athar and inserted a spacer between them. In each of her movements, centuries of experience were felt. Having examined her work once again, the priestess chuckled and lifted her black mask. Sariharna recognized her with horror as Eltruun. She sat down in a chair and, stretching out her slender legs, covered in soft black leather, said:

- Well, hello, my stupid student. Frankly, I was very upset to realize that you were the traitor. Just think - so much of my time on your training was wasted. No, no, don't try, you are completely paralyzed. The needles are lubricated with hrath, and you should know what that is. A little more, and you won't even be able to blink on your own, but your heart and breathing will be fine. What are you, like a little child, do you think that I put a terrast collar on you for nothing? I'll have to repeat some of my lessons with you...

- Eltruun touched her earring. In response, it shimmered with multi-colored lights. Looking up at her prey, she smiled widely and terribly: - Oh! Are you losing consciousness? And rightly so! You shouldn't see what's about to happen.

Ha-ha-ha-ha... - Her eerie, but cheerful laughter was the last thing Sariharn heard before losing consciousness.

* * *

No Man's Land... Lifeless dark caves located between the dark eldar and the illithids. To encounter anything here other than stone is incredible luck. While in relatively inhabited caves almost everywhere there are thickets of glowing moss, here there are no such sources of light.

Almost impenetrable darkness reigns here, through which one can navigate only with the help of the thermal and magical spectrum of vision, which is not very good, because while it is still possible to distinguish a dwarf from a naga in this way, one eldar from another is already a problem.

Quick advancement through No Man's Land was the key to success. But due to the fact that we were going on a raid on Ishakshi, we had no choice where to rest before the day's march and the subsequent battle. Therefore, we made our last stop two hours' ride from the territory where the habitat of the illithids began.

This time I woke up on my own, which was a good sign in itself. I settled down next to Miss and watched the slowly growing bustle in the camp.

The final preparations before the battle... The Dark Eldar were lubricating the warheads of their weapons with a fast-acting paralyzing poison, adjusting their armour, checking the belt systems on their hisnas. The Arir of Rea were dancing a strange, jerky dance, waving their moonlit divine weapons in time to music that only they could hear...

The remaining Arir of Kriata stood in a circle and froze, stretching out their right hands in front of them with curved daggers clenched in them, touching the blades of their neighbours' dagger handles with the tips. It was probably some kind of ritual... A couple of the scarlet ones were not visible, but I was even glad of that. Arir Ehaialin was training with a scythe. It was as beautiful as Rea's dance. Lunges, sharp blows from above, below, from the sides.

At times, Arir used the scythe shaft as a pole, and once he even climbed onto the scythe completely and, stretching his legs up, holding the blade with his right hand, did push-ups and jumped on the shaft. I even began to regret that I was trained as a support mage, and not as a breakthrough warrior.

Tearing my gaze away from the mesmerizing dance of the Rea Arirs, I noticed my sister and Arichitos heading towards me. Sighing, I tore my body away from Myss's warm and soft side. Standing up, I said:

- Greetings to you, sister! And to you, teacher.

– We are also glad to see you in good health...

- When are we performing?

- Soon. But we came to ask you to split the Golden Guard into two detachments, placing them under our command.

- Fifteen atars per squad? I agree. Are you sure that this will be enough? Maybe I should give Arichitos all the gold ones, and you all the blue-eyed ones?

- We don't mind. But who will guard you?

- Do you think my priestesses won't be enough? And the ariry?

- They will be on reconnaissance.

- I'll go with them. How else are you going to find Elviaran? Don't interrupt me! - I raised my hand in a prohibitive gesture. - I can't sit in the rear, no matter how much you want me to... You know what? You try to hit them head-on, distract their attention, and we'll try to find her... Burn, plunder - our house will need gold... Divert attention to yourself. - I smiled sadly: - If I fail and die... Retreat, save the Golden Guard and the blue-eyed... The greatness of the house is everything! Maybe the goddess will give me another chance... I hope so, you hope so too...

They bowed their heads, accepting my will.

The sister smiled sadly.

- So be it, Asheras... We leave in fifteen minutes.

They turned around and went to give orders. I turned around too and saw Miss's wise gaze.

- Do you condemn me? - I said to him and unexpectedly for myself hugged his huge soft head. - Don't worry, I am not destined to live a long life. If I die now, I will be glad that I knew you, willful and independent Miss...

He snorted expressively in response.