NIGHT - I Rin (read people like a book TXT) 📗

it cleared, all pictures disappeared.

“Well, thank God!” thought Lica.

She was very tired, and she could barely hold her eyes open. As soon as the girl got to bed she fell asleep...

The visit to vampires

The next day, Angelica gave the crystal ball back to her friend.

“Well, how about it? Could you see anything?” Sveta gibed her.

“Yes, a lot,” truly said Lica.

“Well, well, go on!” laughed Sveta. “You might have seen a dream!”

“Maybe a dream...” the girl didn’t deny.

Two days passed like a flash. Fortunately for Angelica, it was a weekend, because she knew that at this time her parents always went to their summer cottage to relax with friends. As usual her mom left a lot of ready food for her daughter, after that they light-heartedly went away for a weekend.

Since lunch the girl was looking forward to begin to her journey into the Kingdom of Night. She was already ready beforehand, but just in case decided to wait for the evening, for fear that her mom could phone.

It was already dark. Not have waited for a call, Lica took the stiletto and inserted it, as usual, between the mirror glass and wooden base. Mirror surface became dull, and then the familiar outlines of the room appeared. She saw Margo sitting in the chair and friendly waving her hand to the girl. Angelica decisively stepped forward, not forgetting to take the stiletto back. She jumped from the low table into the hall of the cave.

“Nice to see you!” Margo exclaimed. “I was afraid you had scared and would not come.”

“I don’t scare easily,” she said firmly.

“I'm kidding!” the witch grinned. “Welcome, sit down.”

Angelica hid the stiletto in the jeans pocket and sat down on the sofa.

“As you can see, I took the mirror, although that old sad dog, Henry, did not want to give it to me! But the Prince Night insisted and I have carried it to my home. Now all this stupid mess, associated with your appearance in the kingdom, won’t give so many troubles any more. In addition, I have made a talisman for you.”

With these words, Margot put a small thing on a string out of somewhere.

“Here you are!” she said and threw it to Lica.

The girl caught it and began to examine. It was a female figure carved with incomprehensible magic symbols.

“Put it on!” ordered the witch.

Angelica nodded and put the amulet on her neck.

“While this amulet on you, the Prince of Vampires will not be able to touch you. But if you take it off, I will not guarantee anything... Do not forget that! Now the main thing is. Today you must go to vampires and convince the Prince to join the campaign against the evil. Tomorrow Prince Night Edward and the Goblins’ King Swein will be waiting for you and the Prince of Vampires at Sleepy Lake, near the Fields of Ghosts.”

“And what if the Prince refuses to do that?”

“Then you will come alone! And if you do not come, then I'll know that something bad have happened, and will try to help you. But I hope everything will be okay, if only my amulet is with you.”

“Clear! But how will I get to the vampires? Last time I was with Swein. He showed me the way to the enchanted paths. And the paths changed the direction, and we came to another place.”

“This time Elsa will help you. The Goblins have instincts as cats. They can easily orient in all these paths. Even if you take the wrong turn, Elsa will find the right way.”

“Thank you! When am I going?”

“Right now! Elsa is coming!”

Margo hadn’t completed yet, as they heard the voice of the goblin woman:

“Madam, I'm back!”

“Come on!” said the witch to Angelica, and headed out of the hall.

Lica followed her. Elsa was waiting for them at the entrance.

“Have you brought what I asked for?” asked Margo.

“Yes, I have!” goblinka nodded and pulled a scattering of strange, colored pebbles from her pocket.

The witch chose three brilliant violet ones and gave to the goblin woman.

“Always keep them with you, and your intuition will increase even half!” she said. “And now, Elsa, you go with Angelica and show her the way to the Fields of Ghosts. I hope your sixth sense won’t let you down.”

“Okay,” the maid nodded. “Horses are ready, we can go.”

Margo turned to Lica and hugged her.

“Well, good luck!” she said quietly. “And remember, the future of the Night Kingdom depends on you.”

The girl nodded and walked quickly out of the cave. She bestrode one of the horses and pulled the reins. Elsa hurried after her.

“Take care of the amulet!” the witch shouted after.

Two riders raced in the light of the moon on a dusty road. The stars twinkled over their heads, the wind blew in their faces, but they seemed not to notice anything. Before reaching the tomb the Goblin woman suddenly stopped her horse and said:

“I do not know why, but something said to me to turn here, although I've never done it before.”

“So, listen to your heart!” Angelica noticed. “There are good reasons why Margo gave you magic stones.”

Elsa thought for a moment, and then turned to that way where her heart was telling. The riders drove slowly, one after another. Soon, the thick fog enveloped them.

“We are on magic path,” muttered the goblin woman, “if only I knew what exactly path it was?”

Our heroes were travelling not very long and then the fog melted away. They found themselves in a wide bare place, and only something looks like a structure was seen in the distance.

“Where are we?” Elsa was confused. “I do not recognize this place.”

“It seems to me that I have already been here,” said Lica. “Let’s ride forward a little, to that building, and then I can say if it is true.”

Women sent horses to the building. The closer they approached, the more convinced Angelica was that it was the Well of Oppression.

“Elsa, well done!” shouted the girl. “At one dash you took me to the Ghosts’ Fields, it is only the other side. Now I know where the castle of vampires is. And you may go back following our tracks.”

“Please, be careful!” the Goblin woman warned Lica. “Do not trust vampires.”

She came up to Lica, hugged her and went back. She stood and watched her going until Elsa had not disappeared from her view.

“Now go! To vampires!” Angelica commanded herself and pulled the reins.

Strange thing, but when she was ghost, the way to the castle of vampires seemed very short to her. Now she was riding for a long time, and had not see the dark sharp towers yet.

“What stuff!” she thought angrily. “The castle must have already been somewhere here, but it wasn’t. I hope vampires haven’t moved it anywhere far away?”

And she laughed at her thoughts.

Finally, ahead she saw a monumental structure.

“Thank God!” Angelica gasped.

She confidently sent her horse into the castle courtyard. Oddly, there were not any vampires. Lica dismounted and tied her horse to a tree. Then quite easily climbed the steps and entered the hall. But there she saw nobody either.

“It is strange, where is everybody?” she thought.

She turned left to the stairs and went up - to the Vampires Prince’s room. Soon she was standing in front of his door. Angelica knocked, but nobody answered it. She knocked louder, and suddenly the door opened itself. The girl looked inside and saw that the room was empty.

“What’s happened? As if they all have died out!” she was outraged.

Lica closed the door and went downstairs – to the hall. Suddenly, she heard the sound of horses' hoofs in the yard, and voices:

“Whose horse is this?”

“We do not know, sir! We were with you on the hunt!”

“Find and take him to me!”

Angelica ran out into the porch. She saw the Prince of Vampires with his servants was coming to the door.

“You do not have to search anybody!” she exclaimed. “Prince, it’s me!”

Vampires rushed to the girl, but their lord raised his hand and said:

“Wait, I'll talk to her.”

He quickly ran up the stairs and went into the castle.

“Follow me,” he said, turning to Lica.

She nodded and hurried after the Prince. They both went to his room. The Vampire gave her a way, then came in and closed the door.

“You are, as usually, quite unexpected!” he said. “Have you come to express your appreciation?”

“Not really. I came on behalf of...”

“What!” the Prince of Vampires raised his eyebrow in surprise. “On behalf? Only the Devil can give me instructions!”

“No! Sorry I didn’t mean to,” Angelica tried to rectify the situation. “Not on behalf of, but rather, at request. Yes, at request! The fact is that at the boundary of your Kingdom - in the mountains – something terrible is happening. When the sorcerer, who lived in caves, died the ancient evil had been released from the hellhole. It is the stranger to fear and borders, and soon it will spread over your world. Then no one will survive here. And vampires won’t either.”

“I guessed,” the Prince breathed. “I suspected that the evil in the mountains was much older than all of us together. If they were the usual demons or monsters, I would know them, but I didn’t. And when my servants began to die in the mountains, I had realized that they were not our friends from the underworld.”

“The sorcerer was a pagan and was able to control the primal evil. His soul was sealed the entrance to that terrible world, but with his death, everything changed. Some horrible creatures, which have both materializes and energy structure have ripped into your world. And no one can fight with them with usual weapon, it is impossible!”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Now Prince Edward and the Goblins’ King Swein are gathering the army against these monsters. They ask you, Prince, to join them. They think that with joint efforts you will be able to stop the evil.”

The Vampire thought to himself for a minute.

“Put it that you are right,” he finally said. “In the name of common interests, I’ll join Prince Edward and the Goblins’ King. But none of us knows exactly what is it in the caves? I am against hasty decisions. First we must find out what we have to contend with and then act!”

“I absolutely agree with you, Prince!” Lica said with conviction.

“When do I have to decide and give you my answer?”

“Tomorrow Prince Night and the Goblins’ King Swein will be waiting for you and me at Sleepy Lake, near the Fields of Ghosts.”

“Then we have little time. Come on, Angelica! We need to do a lot.”

The Prince blankly went out of the room. He clapped his hands and shouted:

“Saddle my horse immediately!”

Then he turned to Lica and said:

“Do you mind a horse riding, young lady?”

“Where are we going?” asked the girl.

“A walk to Hell!”

He offer Angelica his hand, but she remembered about the amulet given to her by the witch. Therefore, pretending have not seen it, she walked pass. Vampires were bustling in the courtyard. They straddled the black horse, and the Prince easily jumped into the saddle. Lica also climbed the horse.

“Try to keep up,” the Lord warned the girl.

He pulled the reins and rode out of the yard. Riders rushed back in the direction from which Angelica had just come. The girl was not surprised when she saw the abandoned farm in front.

“Are we going to the Well of Oppression?” she asked.

“Yes! We have to go down.”

“But the last time I could not do it.”

“The last time you were a soul, and could never go back, because this Well is a kind of Hell for souls! A sort of a trap from which there is no exit for energy substances. In addition, the Well is the tunnel into the bottomless pit, and you could meet my lord - the Devil!”

At this point, the riders entered the courtyard of the abandoned farm and came to the Well of Oppression. The Prince jumped to the ground and wanted