«She probably chose the elf. I’ve heard that elves are very beautiful.»
«But empty-headed! Clever Viola took that into account. She liked the way Urel looked, but she didn’t like everything he did or said. She talked to me for hours, but my looks disappointed her.»
«You couldn’t cross an elf’s body with a dwarf’s brain to suit a princess’s tastes, could you?»
«But it was possible to give her a privilege: two husbands at once, which the generous dragon emperor Edwin did. Since he rules over all the magical creatures in the universe, he held a trial where he gave his verdict. And now Viola spends one month in the elf realm, and the next month she returns to me in the dwarves’ realm.»
«So one month she’s the wife of an elf, and the next month she’s the wife of a dwarf king! That’s an interesting alternation! I wouldn’t have dreamed it in a wild dream.»
«You’re not in the same situation as Viola,» the dwarf chuckled.
«That’s right. I’ve never fallen in love once, let alone twice! But Princess Viola is lucky. If she has two husbands at once, when one goes bankrupt, she can always come to live with the other. When my father went bankrupt, my mother had no one to go to, so she took it out on me.»
Samantha didn’t notice how she began to trust the gnome. She was not even embarrassed by the fact that she was standing in the middle of the roadway talking to a stranger.
«Viola is by the elves now. They muse and dance on the cliffs by the sea, with azure dragons flying nearby. They love Viola’s whistle.»
«Is it far from here?» Samantha wanted to see elf society.
«If you don’t have wings, it’s a month from here to the cliffs of the Coast Elves.»
«Then I won’t get there in time. I’m running out of time. Say hello to Viola when she gets back.»
«I have nothing to do while she’s with the elf,» the dwarf muttered, «but when she gets back, I’ll be happy for a month, and I’m already collecting gifts for her,» the dwarf turned a leaf that had fallen from the tree into an emerald. «She also likes it when I read interesting stories aloud to her, so I became a regular at the royal library, borrowing books there for Viola, but the king’s current advisor won’t let me in anymore. He’s so clawed!»
She guessed the dwarf was referring to the character of the counselor. The king’s counselor can’t really be clawed!
«I have a book from my father’s library with me. Here, take it for Viola,» Samantha rummaged under the carriage seat and pulled out an adventure novel.
«Your father has good taste. We should visit him,» the dwarf was glad of the gift and eagerly began to leaf through the book with a small number of pictures.
«You can do that. Father is in the library day and night, and you can catch him there anytime. And if my prim mother doesn’t catch the two of you there together, my father will be sure to treat you to tea or even port.»
«It is good!» The gnome king’s tiny eyes lit up with lively interest. «It’s so good that I met you. Usually girls are frightened of me and even try to trample me with their feet.»
«I’m not scared. Besides, you’re better than the creepiness I met on the road before you.»
The dwarf thought she was talking about wild animals and looked toward the forest.
«By the way, do you know how to make my horses move?»
«It is simple!» The dwarf scratched the hoof of one horse, and suddenly the whole four moved. Samantha barely had time to scoot back into the carriage.
«Goodbye! I’m going to Ivilor,» she shouted to the dwarf. «You can visit me at the local royal palace.»
«Is it to lvilor!» The dwarf’s face suddenly grew concerned. «You shouldn’t go there! You’d better come back!»
«I have no choice!»
Samantha looked out of the window, but instead of the dwarf, she saw the glassy eyes of the dead Evangelina. They were staring straight at her, as if the dead one was trying to warn her about something. The horses were backing away from the corpse and trying to avoid it, as if a demon still sat on Lady Evangelina’s chest. The pentagram around the dead body glowed mysteriously red.
Werewolf’s Manor
The manor with its beautiful brick turrets appeared on the left side of the road like a mirage. Samantha couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t even traveled a mile and she was already lucky. Such a large and handsome estate must be home to local aristocrats. Samantha knew from her own experience that they always welcome guests from the upper class. First of all, it was not difficult to find extra rooms for guests in a huge house, and secondly, the nobility, living on the outskirts, liked to ask travelers for news. Samantha’s mother loved to chat with travelers who were on their way to or from Ivylor to see the king. From them, one could learn many interesting things. Unfortunately, her mother had also learned about finding a rich groom at court from them. Otherwise Samantha wouldn’t have to travel the bumpy roads now.
She needed rest, and she was willing to pay for rest with travel stories. Samantha imagined sitting in a cozy living room and telling the whole family about how she’d met a demon on the road. No, she shouldn’t call him a demon. Otherwise she’d be labeled a lunatic and sent to the servants’ barn for the night. It is better to say that the demon was an unusual wild animal that can walk on its hind legs and growl, imitating human speech. This beast also mauled a certain Lady Evangelina to death. Maybe the locals know who that lady was.
A manor house is more comfortable than an inn. The main thing is that all its inhabitants are not sleeping so soundly that they cannot be awakened by knocking and shouting.
The horses stopped obediently in front of the manor. They did not seem to want to go any farther. They didn’t make it to the gate either. Samantha had long ago realized that it was useless to prod the horses, so she got out of the carriage and walked to the entrance.
«If you’re lucky, horses, you’ll find plenty of straw and cozy stalls inside,» she encouraged the animals. They only snorted derisively in response. Did even the horses doubt that Samantha was welcome here?
There were no guards at the entrance to the manor. The gate stood open. One leaf was off its hinges. The wrought iron fence was overgrown with moss and mold.
«And here I thought my mother didn’t know how to run a household!» Samantha stared in amazement at the overgrown garden, which clearly had no gardener. It looked like a jungle. Even the path to the house was overgrown with tall weeds. A creeper grew in the empty fountain. It tightly wrapped around the sculpture of a half-woman, half-wolf standing on top of the fountain.
«What kind of goddess is that?» Samantha wondered. «I don’t know of one.»
«It is the Goddess of Wolves,» was a husky male voice from behind her. Samantha turned around. A tall, thin brunet in a tattered camisole stood in front of her.
«Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! I thought the manor was uninhabited,» Samantha said, pleased. «It looks so abandoned.»
«I think it’s a paradise,» the brunet sniffed at the girl as if she were food.
Samantha was surprised.
«You don’t like my perfume?» She had long suspected that the Alurian’s perfume her mother had bought from the buyer was just a fake. It smelled no better than cologne, but there was little to choose from in the province. Either buy what they offered or invent perfume from dandelions and wormwood. Other plants did not grow in abundance at home.
The brunet who met Samantha was silent and so pale that he looked like a consumption patient. His dark hair was greasy. The buttons of his camisole had fallen off, and there were holes in the sleeves.
This must be a run-down estate, Samantha concluded. It must be a ruined estate, Samantha concluded, which meant she couldn’t expect a hearty dinner or a luxurious bedroom. There might not be straw for the horses in the stables either.
«I don’t want to embarrass you, but I need a place to sleep. I lost my coachman and groomsmen on my journey, so I would be very grateful if you could lend me your coachman. I’m going to Aluar, to the King’s court. By the way, have you met the King?»
Instead of answering, the brunet beckoned Samantha toward the house. The nails on his hand were long and sharp. When he’d walked past her and touched the fountain’s curb, the marble had scratched.
«Is there anyone else living at the estate besides you?» Samantha found it odd that there were no lights on in any of the many windows. The facade was dark. Only the tiled turrets glowed, as if fire fairies lived inside them.
«I have a large community.»
«You mean family?»
«Mm-hmm,» the brunet nodded.
Samantha followed him into the spacious hallway. The house was black. There were no footmen or butler. There was no one to light the fireplace or the candelabra. Samantha fumbled for a beam and lit it with the torch she was accustomed to carrying in her pocket.
«Put it out!» The brunet demanded. «Darkness should not be lit by fire. You’ll call the firebrands from the attics, and they’re stinging!»
