Марина Марли – Universal Parallels: The Earth (страница 5)

People did not see this miracle of healing, they continued to scurry randomly under the walls of the settlement. However, a little further away, a boy was hiding around the corner of one of the houses. He was watching from his shelter everything that was happening at that moment in front of the main gate. Early in the morning, he took up this position, preparing to wait for the solemn return of the warriors with the loot in their hands. He believed that it would be the people of his settlement who would be the first to get the burning ray that fell from the sky that night. He had noticed her from the very beginning. From the moment the gates were raised and she appeared surrounded by warriors in front of the people of the settlement. And even after the attack happened, he was not afraid and did not run away, but continued to stare at the girl with wide eyes. He had never seen anyone like her before, and he couldn’t leave and miss everything. His eyes saw not only the bloody and dead bodies of the inhabitants, who did not have time to escape from the nimble arrows, but also the miracle of healing the wounded.

Without even touching them, she healed their wounds, putting them out of their misery. His eyes, the color of fresh spring green, grew wider and wider in surprise. As if mesmerized, he continued to marvel at what he saw, without leaving his place.

Gradually, people came to their senses. Helping the wounded, carrying away the dead, they cleaned the cobblestone paths, washing away the traces of grief that this morning had brought them. Deva did not stay away. She also helped the residents and now, taking an elderly woman by the elbow, lifted her off the stone floor. She fell when she tried to escape from enemy arrows, but got off with only fright.

«Thank you, sweet heart,» the woman groaned, barely getting up, leaning on the Deva’s hand.

In response, she just smiled, trying to hide the pain that was tearing her from the inside. The universal heaviness that covered all the inhabitants of the clan this mournful morning. The woman, as if not noticing anything unusual in the appearance of the maiden, dusted off her dress and hobbled on, hiding in the alleys of the settlement. Among the warriors who remained behind the wall, the old woman did not wait for anyone, but simply came out of habit to meet her people who returned home alive.

Left all alone, Deva looked around, trying to figure out what to do next and where to go. There wasn’t a soul around, and she was turning her head in confusion. A little further away stood the main castle, with many windows and fancy turrets crowning the building. Deva would like to take a walk here and admire the simple architecture.

Suddenly, the guards appeared around the corner. They walked in a perfect square, and Deva had no doubt that they were coming straight to her. Their bodies were covered with finely forged shiny armor, and their chiseled step ricocheted off the stone surface. She looked at them and did not understand for what reason they put on this iron armor. Did she really pose such a danger? Was she a great threat to the peace of these people? She brought death with her. People died because of her, although Deva did not want this to happen at all. She wanted peace on this earth and came here only to establish it. But are they interested in it? Those brave warriors only laughed at her answer when they asked the reason she had come. And now they will join the Navi and be forever chained to the ground by their own evil deeds. The Creators will never allow them to get even into the transitional worlds.

The four guards were gradually approaching her. The maiden sighed sadly and looked up, once again preparing to meet her fate.

«We were told to bring you to the council,» one of the guards said sternly and calmly, approaching the maiden at arm’s length.

She silently bowed her head, not intending to resist. The guard surrounded her and took to the castle as if she were a criminal who deserved the most severe punishment. After walking through the labyrinths of cobbled and similar streets without stopping, they reached the main castle and went inside. Then they went through a side door, crossed several passages and climbed two floors up. For some reason, they did not meet any residents along the way. Apart from the ones she had seen earlier in front of the entrance gate, none of them caught her eye anymore. «Maybe they were afraid of me and decided to hide all the people?» she wondered, standing in front of the elegant wooden doors, waiting for them to be allowed to enter.

She paid her attention to the carved curls of leaves hanging from a tree, on the branch of which a wonderful bird was sitting. Deva stood behind two broad-shouldered guards and saw little ahead of her. She tilted her head to the left and to the right to examine the wooden door in more detail.

«What a beauty,» she whispered.

The guards squinted at the girl, who did not know at all where she had been taken, and instead of being afraid, admired what had long lost its meaning to them. What they had stopped noticing. Surprised by the behavior, they already thought that she was simply distraught with fear and did not know what she was talking about. They even managed to feel sorry for the poor girl and sympathized with her future fate, which clearly will not be bright after their best warriors died by her fault.

Raising her hand to the door, one of the warriors knocked on it, and the doors instantly swung open. Deva fearfully but curiously craned her neck to see what was hiding behind them. Obviously, this was the council room where the elders were sitting, led by a man in a steel crown. Under their gaze, the maiden lowered her head and stared at her feet. The guards marched in together, urging the maiden on, and then parted to the sides, revealing to the eyes of the head and the council the culprit of their sleepless night.

Raising her head, Deva began to examine the room and the elders. In the center, on a throne, sat the head, who was surrounded by other elders at two semicircular tables – three on each side of him. Their clothes were embroidered with gold and jewel stones. White cuffs and collars stuck out from under the satin fabrics of the doublets3. Someone had them lined with fur, although Deva did not quite understand why this was necessary in such warm weather. These were not the warriors or the inhabitants she had seen before, but completely different people. Each of them had swords studded with gems in their scabbards. They were all fair-haired and green-eyed, except that the shade of the iris was slightly different. Even at the first meeting with the warriors of Earth Clan, Deva noted their identical eye color and thought it was a simple coincidence, but now she was amazed at such a feature.

The man in the center was crowned with a steel crown, which showed others: no matter how high you climbed, your head would always be with the common people, and it would serve them for good, and his sword was also quite plain. Deva was even more surprised that she literally «stumbled» over this man – she could not read him, could not look into his essence. It was as if he was locked away from her, locked with locks of all worlds, and the key she possessed did not fit. Deep in thoughts and having finished examining these majestic persons, she bowed her head and lowered her gaze.

With undisguised curiosity, the elders examined the young creature placed in front of them for demonstration, like a statuette. Her exuberant black-haired hair and dark skin, the blue of oceans of eyes, modesty and timidity greatly distinguished her from all the people they had previously known. Even the cloak of their clan, which she was still wearing, did not save the situation. She was another one, descended from heaven, sent to them by someone unknown and for what purpose. The maiden still stood without raising her head, her eyes fixed on one point. She felt their curious glances running over her, felt their smirks on her face and their antics. She replayed in her head what had happened to her over the past few hours and did not understand how, with all such human hatred and aggression towards own kind, she would be able to reconcile the inhabitants of these lands.

The man in the steel crown was the first to break the silence.

«Let there be a trail!» he boomed, and his voice echoed reverberate throughout the room.

«The court? What have I done wrong?» The maiden was surprised. Lifting her head for a moment and casting a glance in the direction of this man, she again came across an invisible wall surrounding him with a protective bastion. «Why is he hidden to me? I can’t see him clearly. What is his secret?»

The head of the elders surveyed the girl with a slow and meticulous gaze from head to toe. Realizing that his words had made no impression on her, except for that sharp look, he decided to continue testing her strength.

«Introduce yourself!» he commanded so loudly that even the glass in the windows rattled.