Shadow of the dragon. Treasures

By EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Blowing out candles or tossing a coin into a fountain, I make the same wish: to find my twin sister who disappeared eight years ago. When I lost her, I got a hateful husband in return. I am convinced that he is responsible for her disappearance, but I cannot prove it. Day after day, I pretend to be a helpful wife, and sometimes I think I can't take it anymore. But one day I got my wish, and the nightmare ended when I woke up in another world. Here I was called Shadow of the Dragon, and I liked it. I thought I was crazy, but the dragon was real, and I had the chance to start life again and find true happiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EDGARS AUZINS
• Release date: May 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224128549

EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Dzimis 1989. gada 22. decembrī. Absolvējis Rīgas Juridisko koledžu. Profesijā nav strādājis, bet apguvis programmēšanas prasmes un pašlaik ar to nodarbojas. Kopš 2022. gada ir personīgā uzņēmuma vadītājs, kas nodarbojas ar transporta pārvadājumiem, kā arī programmēšanu. Dzīvnieku, īpaši suņu, mīļotājs. Born 22 December 1989. Graduated from Riga College of Law. Has not worked in the profession, but has acquired programming skills and is currently working in it. Since 2022 he has been the CEO of his own company, which deals with transport transport as well as programming. Lover of animals, especially dogs.

Book preview

Prologue

Vasilina Vyuga, wife and Shadow of the draklord Reginhard Berlian.

Dort Hall Castle, Drakendort Reach.

- Emerald?! This can't be true! - Reginhard Berlian, the dragonlord of the Drakendort limit and also my husband, exclaimed behind me.

I followed the silhouette of a huge lizard flying against the backdrop of the snow-white peaks of the Dragon Ridge. There was definitely someone sitting on his back. This someone is Zlata - my seven-year-old daughter!

Just recently she was snatched right out of a magically protected castle in the middle of the night, and I almost went crazy with fear. Last time, this was done by the insidious Nirfeats - sorcerers of chaos led by Queen Nirfeya - a frightening, vampire-like creature. Reginhard's former advisor and half-brother, Tapredel, who imprisoned the draclord for seven years in a cave on Dragon Peak, became one of Nirfea's generals. Wanting to gain power over Draknedort, he committed betrayal and became an adept of chaos.

The Nirfeats brought an entire army, but the defense of Dort Hall held out, and then they decided to gain power by cunning. They kidnapped Zlata, knowing that Reg was not at home, and I would do everything to get my daughter back. They wanted to exchange it for the draclord's magic sword - Cleaving. The Cleaver is not just a sword, it is the key to the limit, and its loss threatened us all with death. Fortunately, Reginhard and I were able to outwit our enemies and win. Reg destroyed Nirfeya's army, and she herself was expelled from Drakendort, and the giant spider Sphira feasted on the traitor Tapredel.

Prosperous days have arrived in Drakendort. Reg was restoring his land, eradicating the Nirfeat infection, and people no longer needed to be afraid and hide. Everyone celebrated the return of the draklord and our wedding. It seemed that now everything would definitely be fine, but...

And less than a month has passed before Zlata is kidnapped again! And who? The one who found shelter in our house?!

- Nier Chatollier - the emerald dragon?! — the words my husband said reached me belatedly.

I growled, digging my fingers into my hair and running around the room.

- Yes, so that he would be empty! - the harpy, the guardian and nanny of my baby, cursed at the top of her lungs. - He fooled me and took away our Zlatochka. This robber managed to deceive everyone!

- Agrippina! — I barked at the keeper.

The harpy promised that she would save Zlata, did I really trust her in vain?

Excuse me, Nyera, for the first time in my memory, my supposed relative became official. Harpies are powerless against dragon magic, she frowned. - I promise, Lina. I will do everything to get her back! I’ll try to transport myself to her as soon as they stop somewhere...

But I needed it now!

My little daughter is somewhere alone with an unfamiliar husband... Darkon, which doesn’t change the essence!

Reg... I looked helplessly at my husband.

- I'm flying after him! - Reginhard, having made a decision, rushed to the exit.

I knew that he was heading to his tower, where there was a special pier for a convenient takeoff. We hurried after, but on the way we dropped into my former chambers. My things have not yet been moved to the family ones.

- Gapa, clothes for me! Faster!

The understanding harpy was already pulling the robe off my shoulders and throwing on a warm shirt. I’ve never put on pants so quickly in my life. I buttoned up my shirt, boots, and jacket while running in the corridor.

- Reginhard, stop! I'm with you! - she screamed, managing to jump out onto the air pier at the last moment.

My husband wanted to object, but when he came across my decisive look, he realized that this was not the case when he needed to contradict.

Okay, he agreed, clearly reluctantly.

A minute later we were already soaring in the night sky, and the sensations took my breath away. Berlian flew so fast that the stars in the sky blurred, and if not for the special dragon magic, I would never have been able to stay on his back.

- Why didn’t I understand this earlier? After all, they told me, and he behaved...

Did you talk? Who? — my husband mentally interrupted me.

- No, it’s not you! - I blurted out angrily.

For your own safety, Lina, Berlian explained in a conciliatory tone.

Eiren asked that his secret be kept, and I made a promise. Behr is right, you never know what could have happened.

I don’t think so, I was always in danger without it. Spider, nospheres and other nasty things. Tsunami," I grumbled a little more calmly.

Emerald was vulnerable in Eiren’s body. Nier Chatolier was not a draclord from birth... Reg explained.

And how then did Emerald’s spirit take on its true form? - Berlian suddenly asked a question.

But this is strange. Frankly, I didn’t expect anything like this. Lina, who told you about Eiren’s secret? - Reginhard asked.

— There was a prediction from Aruhi.

— Did Aruha predict it for you?! - the husband was surprised, remembering the fortuneteller’s dislike for me.

Not for me, but it’s not my secret, I scoffed. - But the prediction spoke of who carries the dragon within himself. At first I thought about you and was terribly jealous, but then it turned out that we were talking about Eiren. Well, why didn’t I understand right away? That's where his interest in Zlata came from! That's it - because she is also a Shadow! But... She’s a baby, it’s too early for her to become someone’s Shadow!

Don’t worry Lina, Emerald honors traditions. Your daughter is not in danger, Berlian hastened to reassure me, sensing my despair.

Perhaps in this world they believed unconditionally in traditions, but I was a victim of bad news on Earth, I could not accept it so easily and felt like a disgusting mother for allowing myself to relax and lose sight of my daughter. It doesn't matter that it was my wedding.

After a few hours, I began to regret that I went on a long journey without preparation. My body felt numb, even though I tried to change positions more often. I wanted to drink and go to the toilet. The second one especially. But gritting my teeth, I endured, afraid to detain my husband even for a moment.

Berlian was the first to come to his senses and began to descend.

- What's happening? Have we arrived? — I was worried, and at the same time I couldn’t contain my joy.

You need a break. I'm sure Emerald had a sleepover too. Zlata will not survive such a long journey on the back of a dragon, so don’t be afraid, Ber continued to reassure me.

It's easy to say: Don't be afraid!

The thought that Zlata would spend the night in an unknown place certainly didn’t make me feel any better. What if someone like Sephira lives there? Or will the nirfeates discover them at night?

I forced myself to stop, otherwise I could fantasize to the point of madness. I only allowed myself to ask neutrally:

- What if we lose them?

We won’t lose. I know where they're going. I’m sure that Emerald is striving to go to Sven-Hall - her family nest, Berlian answered me confidently.

There’s no defense here, Reg remarked when, almost 24 hours later, we landed some distance from Sven Hall.

The area around was different from the seaside I was used to, and the harsh, slightly squat castle was lost among the green hills covered with low deciduous forests. An overgrown road led to it, and at a distance, wild goats grazed in the still thick grass, although it had turned brown by autumn, but I didn’t see any housing nearby. Only from above, behind the neighboring hill, were the remains of an abandoned village visible.

We saw similar ones more than once while flying. Individual erlings looked a little more prosperous, but there was definitely chaos in Thoriswen's border. Reg and Berlian were dejectedly silent, and I didn’t ask any questions, understanding how hard it was for the diamond dragon to see his neighbor in trouble.

Was it really the Nirfas who did all this? Is it really the same everywhere?

Shall we go inside? Berlian suggested and easily soared over the wall overgrown with ivy and moss.

Everything looks as if there hasn’t been life here for about a hundred years, not a little over seven, I noted, feeling like I was on an excursion in an ancient fortress.

Having circled over Sven Hall, we did not take any risks and landed on the air pier, which looked rotten, but landed right in the yard. Reginhard turned into a human again, but this time in clothes.

- Something new? — I raised an eyebrow.

I gradually regained my skills, my husband smiled gloomily at me and was the first to head to the main entrance. - Lina, don’t lag behind, but follow the trail. And it’s better to look with magical vision, can you?

- Will try.

After the ceremony at the statue of the Progenitor Dragon, I did not become a magician, but I learned to see magic, and therefore I immediately rebuilt my vision. Although I won’t be able to do this for long, my head will hurt.

- Reg, do you see this? — I pointed to the black cobwebs in the corners.

- These are echoes of the magic of chaos. Something like mold, try not to touch it.

We walked cautiously through empty corridors. Looking around room by room along the way. From the looks of it, there was no sense of living beings in the castle. There were no flowers here that I was used to, and there weren’t even insects, which were abundant outside. And the culprit was this same magical mold, which sucks life out of all living things.

It was also quite damp here, even the air seemed heavy.

Reg, are you sure they’re here? — Concern for my daughter intensified again.

I’m sure I feel them, my husband nodded and extended his hand to me, which I immediately grabbed.

The castle has been plundered to the ground, I noted, looking at the corridors and rooms in which absolutely nothing remained except indistinct rubble or garbage heaps.

Complete lack of furniture. Bare walls, sometimes smoked, sometimes scribbled with the slogan Ahare nirfe! and all sorts of obscenities...

— Once, Marinka, my sister, and I climbed into an abandoned sanatorium. It’s a similar feeling, I shared my impressions. There was absolutely nothing left there either, and in some places people even dismantled the walls for their own needs.

I didn’t mention the fact that those who remained were covered with swear words and declarations of love, and there were public toilets in the corners, and other traces of the presence of drug addicts, homeless people and other marginalized people.

I don’t know what a sanatorium is, but it looks like a bad place. Why did you need to go there? — Reg asked, looking at the staircase complex. - Up or down? - he thought.

— To tickle your nerves and take some cool photos. Well... These are pictures that are not drawn by an artist, but by a special device, like an artifact. It can draw anything in front of the eyes using light instantly.

— Interesting artifact. I'd like to take a look at it. Upstairs," Reg pulled me up the stairs.

- Yes. In our world, although there is no magic, there are many useful and interesting devices. I think Gapa managed to study many of them. I heard she's going to write everything down.

Harpies are masters at this. They are the guardians of the knowledge of this world. It’s a pity that there are very few of them, and they lead a solitary life.

Without turning anywhere else, we climbed to the top floor of the main building. Here Reginhard froze and looked around. Me too, noting that there is much less magical cobwebs or mold here. Below, almost everything is overgrown with it.

This way, the husband finally decided and walked up to the blank wall, and then simply walked through it.

I resisted, instinctively frightened when his hand sticking out of the stone pulled me after me.

Stop!

Lina, it’s just an illusion, there’s a doorway here, Reginhard looked straight out of the stonework.

- Nightmare! — I shook my head, but, closing my eyes, followed him.

For some reason I was sure that I was going to hit my forehead, but nothing like that. We found ourselves in a spacious living room, as tattered and desecrated as everything else in Sven Hall. If you compare it with Dort Hall, I got it after a European-quality renovation. And here there is complete despondency, and even the greenish tint of the stone evokes melancholy.

- Mommy! — Zlata looked out from the next room, but immediately disappeared.

Forgetting about everything, I rushed after him. And yet Reg got ahead of me and stopped me. He looked into the doorway first, and only then allowed me to enter. There was nothing here, like everywhere else, only shackles on the wall, covered with runes, and a naked elderly man lying on the floor, covered with some kind of rag, next to whom Knife was kneeling.

- How could you! — the most natural angry growl escaped me.

I can explain everything, Eiren rose to meet me.

And I just flew up to him and slapped his pretty face with all my heart. Even the hairy blond head shook.

- Creature!

I deserve it, the robber humbly hung his head.

You and I will talk separately later. Like a man," Reginhard threatened him. What about Wald?

Only now I suddenly remembered the old man lying on the floor.

And my daughter sees all this! She's still a child! Why should she show the corpses?! — I pushed the robber in the chest and wanted to hit him again.

- Mom, stop it! - Zlata suddenly screamed and pushed me away from the Knife.

-Did you kill this man? — I frowned. - Brought my daughter here to...

This grandfather is Eiren’s daddy, and he’s still alive! Eiren didn't kill anyone! We came here to help! - my baby blurted out.

There were tears in her wide eyes. She looked at me, offended, from under her brows, but also determined. With her arms spread out to the sides, she shielded the Knife with herself, not intending to offend her friend.

I inhaled and exhaled, looked reproachfully at the robber, and began to explain:

- Zlata, how many times have I told you not to go anywhere with strangers?

- Eiren is not a stranger! And he is a dragon. Dragons don't lie, do they, daddy? — she used a forbidden technique.

Of course, Reginhard's heart immediately melted.

- Is it true. Dragons don’t lie, he confirmed. And now we’ll find out what happened here, right girls?" — here we both got a stern look from the draclord. - Eiren, tell me.

- What can I tell you? Emerald got the better of me and asked Zlata to help. I came to my senses when we were already descending over Sven Hall.

Couldn’t you ask me for help? Reg growled.

I could, but Emerald felt that it would be inappropriate to distract Berlian at such a significant moment of unity with the Shadow. But you understand, I’m not a draclord by birth, how can I compete with a dragon’s willpower? But since we ended up here, I decided to try to save Wald. He hoped that Zlata would help remove the shackles from him.

- I did it, by the way! - my daughter intervened in the conversation.

She was definitely proud of what she had done and felt grown up and important.

- Yes, we managed to free him. Only... Only father doesn’t want to take the dragon back," Knife suddenly raised his voice and threw his head back to the ceiling, as if trying not to cry.

I knelt down next to the old man. Once upon a time he was clearly as handsome as his son, but over time he had turned into a wreck. Almost undead, judging by the skin stretched over the bones...

Suddenly the old man opened his eyes and stretched his lips into a gap-toothed smile:

- ABOUT! I could not have wished to see such beauty before I died!

I stumbled back, fell on my butt and cursed briefly, unable to restrain myself. The old man giggled joyfully, and then broke into a painful cough. The knife immediately appeared next to him, grabbed his gnarled hand, and squeezed it tightly:

- Father, save your life, take the dragon back!

- I have nothing to do! I’ve lived my life, the grandfather snapped grumpily. - Now it’s your turn to torment... That is, to rule, son.

But I wasn’t born a draclord! And... What about my brother? I swear I will find him, and then...

Don’t you dare swear when you can’t fulfill your oath, fool! Wald Jr. disappeared along with the Poisoner before the Nirf attacked. I suspect he betrayed us and ran away. The heir was born a coward, unworthy of a dragon... - the old man became agitated, breathing strained and hoarsely.

Wow! I instantly realized that the Poisoner was a magic sword, the key to Thoriswen’s limit. Like the Cleaver - the key to the Drakendort limit. It was precisely this that Queen Nirfeya really wanted to get when she led her army to our castle.

- Not true! Wald was just a romantic! I don't believe that my brother betrayed us! - Knife hit the stone floor with his fist.

My daughter fearfully clung to my shoulder, and I hugged her.

— Reg? — I looked helplessly at my husband, but he just shook his head.

Meanwhile, Wald calmed down. His breaths became rare and convulsive

Eiren, the old man said in a weak voice without opening his eyes. From now on, you are the only heir of the Emerald family and the rightful draclord. Find the Poisoner at all costs. But no, rule without him, Wald found the strength to open his eyes and look sternly at his son, and then turned his gaze to Zlata and me and said without any transition: Ooty-pusi, what good girls!"

The old man smiled tenderly at us and... died.

Zlata, who was barely holding on, roared loudly like a little one, and I, forcing her to turn away,

That’s what he always did, the old poisonous snake! - Eiren complained to us afterwards, clutching a vase of ashes to his chest.

We stood in the grassy courtyard of the castle. After paying homage to the deceased draklord Thoriswen, Berlian breathed out blue flames, burning the body. And Eiren, with great difficulty, found at least some kind of vessel to collect the ashes, which he was going to bury in the family crypt. True, at first he had to throw out the earth and the remains of some almost petrified plant.

- Be strong. And if you need help again, Drakendort is open for you, brother," Reginhard patted him on the shoulder.

It seems that for the husband, what happened covered the misconduct of the newly minted niere Emerald, but what to expect from men. I harbored a grudge. And at parting I advised him in such a way that the green dragon would understand that I was addressing him too:

- Start cleaning up here, you slackers. It really helps to take your mind off sad thoughts. Maybe the sword will be found at the same time...

Eiren was not offended, he just smiled at me sadly and nodded in agreement.

The way back was much easier for me. Probably because my beloved daughter and husband were nearby. We were in no hurry, and my heart was not torn by anxiety. For the first time, we simply enjoyed the trip, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of a long-awaited vacation after a long and hard year of work.

We flew through wild places, often resting and stopping either in a picturesque clearing near a clear lake, or on a lonely island in the middle of a serene white-water river. I jokingly called our trip a honeymoon, and Reg said that he liked this earthly tradition. My husband was also quite tired of worries and for the first time he simply enjoyed idleness, basking in the rays of our love. And I smiled, seeing his smile as an absolutely happy person and loved him even more.

True, we had to keep up appearances because of the baby. But even here we found a way out. Leaving Zlata sleeping, Reg surrounded her with such magical protection that no one could detect her, even if they walked in step. And even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to overcome the diamond protection, and we would always know when she woke up. In these brief but precious moments, we spent several hot hours just the two of us. They swam in mountain or forest lakes, enjoying each other. We walked and talked a lot.

I’m worried about Eiren, Reg admitted to me one day.

- It serves him right! Let him learn responsibility!

I was adamant and did not forgive the Knife for the excitement that he caused me. And it doesn’t matter whether it was him or his green dragon.

Thoriswen is in decline, Lina. This is bad. I'm afraid Eiren can't do it alone. I also noticed something suspicious.

- What exactly?

— Earl Zinbrro. The rascal has settled down well, apparently. If I were without you, I would definitely drop by to visit him..." the husband looked away with displeasure.

I’ve already heard a lot about Lindara’s father, whose spirit was reborn in my daughter. The guy is unpleasant and, apparently, insidious. All of Reginhard's troubles began after a visit to him. So I didn’t even want to hear about my husband going there again.

- What's wrong with him? — I asked cautiously.

"It seems that his Erling is not touched by the Nirfs, while the rest vegetate in poverty, hiding from the worshipers of chaos in dugouts in the forests.

— He probably welcomes the Nirfeats. Or he’s paying off with something, I shrugged. But this is Eiren’s Reach, so let him deal with this Zinborro himself."

- That's right. But first he will have to subdue Emerald. Does Eiren have the will?

It’s a pity grandfather, I sighed. Even in death, he looked like he would have killed that Zinborro with one left hand.

I had no doubt about the even greater cunning of the old poisonous snake, as my own son called the old man.

On the other hand, Eiren wouldn’t have been able to take on the dragon form if they didn’t get along. The dragon will not be able to take on its true form without uniting with its host. Wald refused to accept the dragon spirit not because of his great love for his bastard. His exhausted body would not have been able to withstand his return, and the connection with Eiren would definitely be broken. But a dragon is not a thing; it cannot be passed from hand to hand whenever one pleases.

We talked a little more about this, and it turned out that I had a unique chance to see a dragon and a man separately only because Reginhard and Berlian made the difficult decision to separate for salvation. And since the spirit was in the cave, it did not need a carrier and remained independent, because it was nobody’s. For Eiren, everything was different. His father, in some incredible way, handed the dragon to his son - as if he had put it in a safe for safekeeping.

He couldn’t do it any other way. Unlike me, he was not imprisoned in a cave," Reginhard thought. - You know, now I don’t understand why Tapredel didn’t do the same.

I shrugged.

I understand why you survived, but how was Wald able to last seven years without a dragon? He was chained, I asked the question that had been spinning in my head all this time, but I didn’t ask it, not wanting to upset Reg, who was forced by this whole situation to frown darkly.

- He is a draclord and a magician. In addition, he remained all the time on the territory of his own family castle. True, Wald spent most of his energy passing on the spirit of the dragon to his son...

We were silent for a while, Reginhard looked at me as if he was debating whether to say it or not. I had already guessed what my husband was hesitant to tell me, obviously so as not to scare me.

Reg, I took my husband’s hand, looked into his face, and then put my head on his shoulder: That’s not all, is it?

So, Reg nodded and, sighing heavily, admitted: Besides Eiren’s problems with the dragon and the loss of the Poisoner, at the end of next summer he needs to replace the emerald on the stele.

- Dragon Progenitor! — I already guessed what I would hear, but I was still upset. - Complete ass!

That’s right, grinned my husband, who was amused when I swear. - Emerald can make a new one, but without the Shadow they simply won’t reach...

- What?! — I pulled away from my husband and swore again, this time firmly and without holding back.

Reg did not approve of this option, but lately I have become less in control of myself. Hormones were making themselves felt, and my nerves were acting up after all the incidents.

- Don’t even dare look in Zlata’s direction! — I even took a step back from my husband, pointing my index finger at him.

- What you! — Reg raised his open palms conciliatoryly. - That's not what we're talking about. Eiren will just have to start searching as early as possible, but how can he search here? You saw what was going on in Thoriswen. This was not easy to do before, when people in each Erling themselves brought their daughters to the bride, hoping that they would be the lucky ones. And Eiren will have to scour the forests and dugouts. The search will take years. He doesn't have that much time.

While talking, we slowly returned to the place where Zlata was sleeping, but we were in no hurry to go to bed, stopping nearby.

Perhaps a suitable girl can be found in Drakendort? - I suggested. To be honest, it didn’t matter to me who would become the Shadow of the Knife, the main thing was that he wouldn’t turn his lip on Zlata. You never know how their magic works here. - Or... An idea! What if you ask the Cleaver to deliver the required Shadow directly to Eiren?

- Lina! - My husband looked at me reproachfully. - First of all, it doesn’t work like that. And secondly, remember how you felt when you found yourself in Berlian’s cave for the first time.

I just didn't think about this.

- Well... I was scared, but... Hmm. You made an impression on me even then. Both of you," she embarrassedly pushed her husband’s shoulder.

He immediately reacted and kissed me briefly but passionately.

Except Reg was right. Now I, clinging to his strong chest, think about it so calmly, but then I was scared. To such an extent that I jumped out into the cold and almost died if it weren’t for the magic sword.

But even if so, then here we should rather ask not for the Cleaving One, but for the Poisoning One. Remember, you appeared next to the limit key. I have never been able to solve the mystery of how it happened that you ended up here. I don't have any reasonable explanation. Unless..." Reg fell silent.

- What?

- Yes, that’s nonsense. Children’s stories, he smiled shyly.

- Reginhard! - I hissed. I don’t like it when people don’t finish speaking.

- Yes, there is one legend that if a pure innocent soul asks the Progenitor Dragon for something desired. Not some nonsense, but something that is truly important for the whole world, then it will definitely be fulfilled.

Mm, I said disappointedly. - Indeed, a fairy tale. I don’t think anyone could have guessed my appearance. They would rather ask for your release.

Yes, Reg sighed and, yawning, suggested: Shall we go to bed?

The husband habitually turned into a dragon and curled up, forming a ring with his body, in the center of which Zlata and I settled down. Hugging my daughter, I could not fall asleep for a long time. And when the dream did come, it was disturbing and fragmentary. Filled with cloudy images and vague disturbing visions. And the next morning an idea came to my mind.

— Reg, Wald said that his son, who was expected to become a draklord, has disappeared. Maybe there is a way to find him? Or just find out if he is alive?

I have an idea! - Berlian immediately responded, bursting into my head.

The dragon remained an independent mind. He rarely bothered us when Reg was a man, but when my husband took the form of a dragon, he considered himself a full-fledged interlocutor. And I didn't mind. I loved Ber as part of Reginhard. This may be strange, but we have such a strange family.

- Share! — I hurried the tactful dragon.

In the mountains of Dragon Peak there is a village of harpies, and nearby there is a place called the Lake of Present Time. This place is considered sacred, and the harpies guard it...

They will not dare refuse the draklord and his family if we wish to visit him, Reg finished for him.

— What kind of lake is it and why is it valuable to us? — I didn’t fully grasp the idea.

I didn't want to fly anywhere. During the last hours of the trip, I dreamed of being at home, taking a bath and lying down on a soft bed. And yes! I also planned to eat there. Preferably reclining. But I understood how important it was for Reg to find out where Wald Emerald was, because somewhere nearby the key to Thoriswen’s Reach could be found.

In this lake you can see what is happening to any person right now, the dragon explained.

- Well... At least we'll find out if this guy is alive. And if so, we can tell Eiren about it.

- This is such a magical camera, isn’t it mommy? - Zlata immediately responded.

- Probably... Well, let's take a look, then. We can endure it a little longer, right Zolotinka?

- Yeees! — the little one squealed joyfully, switching to ultrasound.

Here's someone who didn't seem to be at all tired of the journey.

The harpies greeted us unexpectedly cordially. True, they didn’t even think about camouflaging themselves, so they frightened me with their different bird-human appearance. They let us in to the sacred place without any problems, but they themselves did not approach the water and warned us to stay here for a long time. I doubted a little whether it was worth taking Zlata with me, but I didn’t dare leave my daughter. You never know...

The Lake of the Present turned out to be small. Thirty meters in diameter, almost perfectly round in shape, like a mirror in a frame, it was sharpened into rock.

It looks like a large well dug into the rock, I noted, looking into the black and completely opaque water.

The blackness was all-consuming. Neither we nor the stars in the evening sky were reflected in it. Absolutely nothing.

Wald Emerald the Younger, heir of Draklord Thoriswen, Reginhard said, extending his hand, palm down, over the dark waters.

Minutes passed, but nothing happened.

Wald is dead. He is no longer in this world, concluded Berlian.

We’ll have to look for the Poisoner in a different way, Reginhard sighed and turned to leave.

I started to follow him, but suddenly a crazy thought occurred to me. I hope the number of requests is not limited...

Marina, my sister, I blurted out and repeated my husband’s gesture.

I haven’t seen Marinka for a long time and I miss her terribly. I just wanted to know that she was okay.

Lina, what are you doing... Reg stopped when he saw how the surface of the lake began to rapidly brighten from the center to the edges.

Instead of blackness, I clearly saw, as on a high-resolution screen, a modern room in beige tones. Beautiful, slender, with hair below her waist, fashionably dressed and skillfully made up - even this made it possible to look at the magical lake, switching frames, like an experienced cameraman, or whoever usually does these things.

- Mommy, who is this? She is so beautiful! - Zlata asked in a whisper, pressing herself tighter to my thigh.

This is my sister, your Aunt Marina, I hugged my daughter tighter by the shoulders, holding her so that the fidget would not fall into the water.

She is also a Dragon Shadow! - Berlian's voice thundered in our heads.

At this time, another person entered the room where Marinka was. The man I hated with all my soul. Tsvetkov! I staggered, feeling dizzy, and Reginhard put his arm around my shoulders.

- Lina, are you feeling bad?

It’s... it’s... him, I could only squeeze out.

Tsvetkov handed my sister a bouquet of scarlet roses. She accepted them with a smile and immediately hid her face among the buds, inhaling the aroma. We didn’t hear any sounds, but from the pantomime that played out it was clear that these two were in a hurry. But first, Tsvetkov ordered Marina to change her skirt. Apparently the previous one was too long. While my sister was doing this, a wedding photo flashed on the chest of drawers next to the dressing room.

Without a doubt, my sister was married to the man I was trying to save her from. For the one who almost killed me...

Chapter 1. Zlata planned, Zlata did

Zlata, daughter of the Shadow of the Dragon Berlian.

Neighborhood of Dort Hall Castle, Drakendort Reach.

Zlata ran, saving her breath, as her mother taught her; next to her, a small, barely the size of her palm, dragon of bright blue color with a light green crest fluttered its wings. It was the flower dragon, her guard and friend.

Your mother will whip you, he stated.

I know, the girl waved it off, speeding up.

- Oh, you'll get in trouble, Zlatka! — the dragon did not let up.

Fuck off, Screwtape! Better check if the road is right, the girl answered mentally, so as not to lose her breath.

Her lungs were already burning, and she had covered quite a distance for an eight-year-old girl. It was lucky that the vigilant harpy was not in the castle at the instigation of Zlata. It was she who persuaded my mother to send Gapa to stay with her relatives for a couple of days. It’s good that mommy listened, otherwise she wouldn’t have even thought about doing something like this. Her father was busy, hosting earls from all over the Reach, and her mother let her go for a walk in the yard. I couldn’t think of a better time, and a cart was just leaving the castle, in which Zlata hid, smearing her face with earth and hiding her hair under an unsightly scarf.

And it all started with the fact that Uncle Eiren flew to Dort Hall to look for a Shadow in Drakendort - the limit of which daddy was the draklord.

Zlata adored this strong and handsome man, who became her friend. She hadn't seen him since they tried to save his father together last fall, and she missed him very much. Then Zlata heard from her parents about Uncle Eiren’s problems. I didn’t understand everything, but I still figured out the main thing: Uncle Eiren became a draclord, and now he needs his own Dragon Shadow.

Uncle Eiren himself confirmed this, saying that there was very little time left for the search. Zlata knew that she was also a Shadow, and gladly offered to help, but Eiren refused. He said that he would have to get married, and she, Zlata, was still too small for that. And that she will definitely meet her dragon, but for now let her grow and please her mother. Then her mother came and sent her out for a walk. Mom didn’t like Uncle Eiren and that’s all.

Several days passed like this. And then one day Zlata went to play hide and seek with her friends in the castle courtyard, but the game didn’t go well, and as a result there was a quarrel. She and Aya, offended by the others, left the company and went to the far end of the yard. The two of them were bored, and Aya suggested climbing under the roof of the brand new stable, where the hay was stored. So they did. At first they just sat and chatted, and then they noticed Silan, the brother of the healer Aisana. The guy was sneaking into the stable hand in hand with one of the village girls.

- Oh, Big Man is coming! Who's with him today? Ziyana?! Can't be! — Aya, who knows everything and about everyone, elbowed Zlata in the side and, with the air of an expert, said in a whisper: They will kiss.

Ziyana promised to grow up to be the first beauty, and the boys often discussed her when they thought that no one was listening to them. Every second person imagined himself as her future husband. So Zlata, who was lying on her back chewing a blade of grass, immediately turned over on her stomach and pressed herself to the gap between the boards in the ceiling as soon as she heard about it.

It turned out so well that the couple chose the stall next to the one over which they and Aya were located. The friend pressed her finger to her lips, and Zlata nodded understandingly. For some time Silan spoke various nonsense, seducing the girl. She blushed stupidly and giggled, and Zlata and Aya exchanged grimaces, pretending to be sick of such tenderness.

Silan definitely tried to persuade Ziyana to kiss, but she did not agree, and the lurking girls became bored.

I will forever thank the Progenitor Dragon for freeing the draclord. Now life is free again. How tired I am of hiding in the cellar every time a stranger wanders into the village, or blackening my face and walking around unkempt," the girl complained coquettishly.

She was dirty and lazy, Aya whispered right into Zlata’s ear, and she laughed into her palm.

Well, then you can thank me, Silan smiled. I agree to a hot kiss, he suddenly said.

Ziyana's eyes widened indignantly, and Zlata and Aya looked at each other in bewilderment.

- What do you have to do with it? Why should I kiss you? — the beauty asked arrogantly.

- And if I tell you, will you kiss me?

- Well... Okay. But only if you like your story," the girl’s curiosity struggled with cunning.

I was still little then, Silan began, looking as if it had happened about a hundred years ago. Aruha predicted something for her sister... he drew intrigue, wiggling his eyebrows and hinting that to continue it would be nice to finally kiss.

- What? — Ziyana asked impatiently and deigned to kiss the guy on the cheek.

— In general, she said that the Reach would be