Right hand. Prince of Darkness

© Dmitry Nazarov, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0059-1006-6

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Annotation

The highest demon, the right hand of the prince of Darkness, descended to Earth. An impoverished nobleman who ran away from the crown. A modest novice who left the monastery for the sake of good deeds. A reckless robber who narrowly escaped execution. A proud warrior accused of witchcraft. What will happen if these five come together? Will they be able to change the course of history, preventing its bloody turn? And is there a place for love where higher powers come into play?

Prologue

A perfectly shaped full moon illuminated a high picturesque hill, of which there are many in the expanses of Lakantria. That night, the colors faded, losing their daytime variety. Objects, even the slightest distance away, appeared black against the lighter sky. A cool breeze stirred the fresh spring grass along with the flowers that had encroached on its territory.

Suddenly, a strange, unnatural glow, descending on the hill from heaven itself, swayed, gradually taking on the outlines of a human figure. It didn’t seem to belong to this world, and it certainly didn’t look like the light of the sun, the glow of the moon, or the twinkling of the stars. A few more long moments – and that is exactly what they are during the hours of the full moon – and a young woman appeared at the place of the glow.

Nothing testified to her unusual nature, at least at first glance. Luxurious black hair is woven into a tight braid, as is customary in these places. Seductive lips, sharp cheekbones, slanting eyes, dark as night, but this is if you look closely. Good figure, thin but strong body, which is also not uncommon, especially among peasant women. Ankle-length dress was in line with fashion, such a style can be found both among commoners and middle-class matrons. It all depends on the fabric and decorations. Aristocrats are a different matter, they wear completely different outfits, with puffy skirts, lace, gold embroidery and harsh corsets.

The stranger who appeared on the hill easily breathed in the fresh night air and began to make strange movements. She moved her right hand, then her left, looking at them with interest. She took a few steps on the grass, stumbling a couple of times out of habit. An outside observer would have decided that the girl was drunk, and would be greatly mistaken. It was just that the guest of the sublunar world needed time to get used to the human body. She twisted her head, flexing her neck, spread her shoulders wide, and raised her face to the abyss-black sky.

– It’s all right, Master, – she said softly.

There was no need to raise her voice: the one with whom the stranger was talking would have heard an indistinct whisper. The wind ran through the tall grasses, weightlessly touched the flushed cheeks, giving the answer: “Good. Everything goes according to plan. Get used to it and look around.”

The woman nodded, and still staggered down the hillside.

Part one

Chapter 1

Step by step, I carefully stepped on the pliable soil, adjusting to the human body, like a rider to a new stubborn horse. This body had its own instincts, and it was necessary not only to subordinate it to the power of my mind, but, on the contrary, give free rein to something, giving me the opportunity to be responsible for reactions that did not need my control. It wasn’t the first time I’d assumed human form, but the last time had been too long ago. How much time has passed? Three hundred years by human standards? Or is it five hundred?

Once again, stumbling out of the blue, she cursed, mentioning the Prince of Light, and looking up, she found a grinning creature right in front of her, vaguely resembling a man, however, the resemblance to a monkey was also considerable. Looking more closely at the unshaven face, thin hair and untidy clothes, I nevertheless came to the conclusion that I see before me a representative of the Homo sapiens species, a male, albeit in a far from the most perfect version. It was hard not to smile. The Prince of Light has repeatedly stated that man is created in his image and likeness. I wonder what he would say if he saw this individual?

Are you smiling, girl? The man grinned rather.

I winced involuntarily: the human body did not respond well to strong odors.

– Did you eat something? Or drunk? I tried to figure out the reason. – I don’t think your insides smell that bad.

The male was offended, unless, of course, I forgot how to correctly interpret human facial expressions.

– Just think, I intercepted bread with garlic, – he snapped. – Look, what a swell, she doesn’t like the smell. Let’s see how you sing now.

His clammy, sweaty hands reached for mine… I think it’s called a waist. I would have endured it, but the parted mouth approached, and the stench became completely unbearable. It’s not good, of course, to reveal oneself right away, but I’m sure, given the circumstances, the Prince of Darkness will understand me. I think even the Prince of Light would understand.

Taking a step back, I gazed intently into the eyes of a traveler I met by chance.

– Greg Donellan, thirty-eight. – The pupils of Homo sapiens widened in surprise, and I continued with pleasure: – He committed violence against five women, the youngest of them was fourteen, the oldest – forty-one. You killed two after that. One, on the contrary, was first killed, and only then abused.

The individual stepped back, waved her hand in horror, as if expecting me to disperse (no matter how!), and, shaking her head, wailed:

– It is not true. It wasn’t like that at all. Not true!

– Are you saying you didn’t rape those women? – I asked with curiosity.

It’s interesting to understand what’s going on in the head of the instance that got in my way.

– I don’t know how you know this… You must be a witch! – it dawned on him. I just laughed softly. But I’m not a necrophile. I didn’t sleep with the dead! Just strangled her a little so that she would not twitch. She herself is to blame. But she wasn’t dead!

– How curious! I exclaimed, folding my arms over my chest. What an original interpretation of morality! You’ve just been accused of violence and murder, and it didn’t affect your vulnerable psyche too much. You are not at all concerned that you tortured living women who are capable of feeling, suffering and experiencing pain. No, you are shocked by another thing – that you had sex with a body that by that time had already left the soul. A body that was completely indifferent to what was happening to it, since its owner was very far away from here. I studied the man for a bit and shook my head thoughtfully. – A very peculiar moral code. I confess, he does not impress me too much.

– I don’t like witches too much.

It seems that Homo sapiens was not familiar with the word “impress”, but he understood the general meaning correctly.

– A big tragedy. I’m sure they suffer tremendously because of this.

The face of the interlocutor took on an aggressive expression (judging by the dilated nostrils, tightly compressed lips, flushed face and other signs). He stepped towards me again.

– Come on, you’re not in the mood for abuse anymore, – I said confidently, but for some reason this remark only angered him more.

– But you won’t tell anyone anything, – he hissed and, throwing himself at me, began to choke me.

The instincts inherent in the human body called for resistance, to try to unclench other people’s fingers in the struggle for a breath of air. But I didn’t let them. Instead, she closed her own hands around the male’s throat and squeezed harder.

Breathing became easy, and homo sapiens twitched, trying to escape, but, of course, to no avail. I loosened my grip, and Greg Donellan fell lifelessly to the ground.

Driven by instinct, I touched my neck, even though I knew full well that there were no marks left. Leaning over the corpse, belatedly retorted:

– No, you won’t tell anyone. She unbuttoned a couple of the top buttons on the deceased’s shirt and applied the signet ring she wore on her little finger to his chest. An imprint of the rune depicted on the ring appeared on the skin. “This is to get you where you need to be,” I explained, without going into details.

The wind stirred the grass again, making it clear that my actions in this case are unnecessary… Or warning of danger.

I tilted my head, turned my nose. It smelled of people and animals, like horses. And sure enough, literally a minute later, four horsemen drove up to me. A small armed detachment, most likely local law enforcement officers.

– What happened here? one of them asked sternly, holding his heated horse.

– Oh, terrible things, sir! I exclaimed and burst into tears.

Technically, it turned out to be easy.

The man, who must have been the leader of the party, signaled to the others to dismount. Two approached the body of the rapist, the latter remained in place, taking the reins from the hands of the officer. He approached me and deigned to introduce himself:

– I’m Quentin Lott, head of security patrol. The Villa is usually quiet, but this night we decided to drive around the area. I see that our intuition did not deceive us.

His voice softened noticeably, and I made a mental note to myself – the tears of a beautiful young girl have a great effect on men. And Ville, apparently, is a local town on the outskirts of the county of Thornfolk that interests me. That is why my journey started from here.

– Tell me what happened.

I sobbed for order, but did not have time to open my mouth: one of the comrades called out to the officer:

– Quentin, there’s a body! – And for greater accuracy added: – Dead.

The look that Lott had given me turned stern again. The law enforcement officer clearly did not feel joy from the circumstances of our meeting. And that’s right: what is the order from his position? The corpse of a recently strangled man, and an unfamiliar girl who appeared from nowhere at the crime scene. Order is when murderers kill, rapists rape, and respectable citizens sit at home behind seven locks.

“So what happened here anyway?” The officer furrowed his eyebrows.

I burst into tears more than before.

– What are you, Quent, really? One of those who examined the body approached us. – You see, the girl is quite upset.

It seems that when communicating with each other, the members of the squad do not worry too much about the hierarchy. It is not surprising: there are few people, all from a tiny town, I suppose they know each other since childhood.

The guy gently stroked my head. This one did not stuff himself into lovers, he simply decided to take part.

– Judge for yourself, – he again turned to the main thing, – they strangled the peasant – they didn’t poison him, they didn’t put a dagger in his back. Strangled, moreover, it seems, with bare hands, and he looks so healthy. Do you think a girl could?

– Okay, I see it myself, – Lott grumbled. – Why are you mad at me? Need to figure it out. And she is a witness.

– Will you tell? – affectionately asked the, that stood nearby. I nodded, wrinkling my nose. – That’s good. Did you know him? The boy nodded his head towards the corpse.

– Not. He attacked me. I wanted to rape. – I sobbed again and puffed out my chest, showing off the dress, which this infection really managed to wrinkle and even tear at the seam. The men nodded sympathetically, believed, therefore. -And then a miracle happened! The man rode on a white stallion. Young, noble, perhaps. Beautiful. I rolled my eyes romantically. – He dismounted – and ka-a-ak will push this bastard away! They ka-a-ak will grapple in a fight! My soul is gone. And then he fell. And this one, the handsome one, looked at me like that, they say, don’t be afraid of anything, – I lowered my eyes down, pretending to be embarrassed, – jumped on a horse and galloped away. I didn’t even get to thank him. And now with hope she looked up at Lott. – Will you really find him? – Can you send me a message?

– Ugh you! he spat at his feet. – But we didn’t have enough to look for a prince on a white horse. All right, guys, get the body and let’s go. What’s your name? he asked, jumping into the saddle.

– Tess White. I am from a village near the Small Lake. Ask there, everyone knows me.

– Ask if you need it.

I looked after the guards and even waved to the friendly boy when he looked back. The wind quickly dried her tears, a faint smile played on her lips. You will not find any Tess White in the village, Mr. Chief of Security Patrol. And outside it is better not to look. It is of no use to you. Return home and offer a prayer to the Prince of Light for descending the hill safely and without loss.

Chapter 2

Ville was a quiet provincial town, so it is not surprising that any event aroused particular enthusiasm here. Today, the event was a wedding. The pandemonium of people forced me to linger, stopping my chariot for a while (it was by no means harnessed by a horse, as usual with the locals, but more on that later). However, I’m not offended, it was even curious to watch the course of this simple celebration.

The girls dressed up, weaved white, red and orange ribbons into their hair, fastened beads that were tasteless, as for me, around their necks. The men also tried to dress decently, with varying degrees of success. Traditional waistcoats or caftans were worn over the shirts, and even those who usually did not have such a habit tried to comb their hair.

It’s not worth talking about the bride and groom, these, of course, were discharged and happy with life. From the bride, it really blew with simple female happiness, insidiously waiting for her right outside the door of the temple. The groom smiled from ear to ear, as if his whole life was not supposed to turn over in just a quarter of an hour…

Wait, what is this?!

I sniffed. Humans do not have sense organs that could perceive witchcraft in the same way that hearing detects sound, and smell detects smell. But for me, this sensation was more like a scent, and therefore it seemed natural to breathe in through the nose. And the groom, it turns out, was bewitched! And, apparently, a solid potion was used.

I had to make an effort to pick up the drooping jaw. Now that’s fun! Here you have a boring provincial town! Maybe he is on the outskirts, but the passions boil cleaner here than in other dramatic plays. Y-yes, do not envy the guy. He comes to his senses in a few days, weeks – or months, depending on when the little wife stops feeding him her drug, but there is nowhere to go. A wife in front of the Prince of Light and people is serious, and by then, maybe the children will be on the way. The girl did her best!

I squinted, biting my lip slyly. One idea came to my mind. Why not have some fun? Step in and see what people do next. I smiled and quietly snapped my fingers.

The groom stumbled, blinked, turned his head in disorientation, as if he could not understand how he had ended up here. Of course he remembered everything. And how he made an offer, and how he came to the temple, and even how he stood here a minute ago with a happy smile of an idiot. Only now, when the witchcraft subsided, he assessed events in a completely different way and desperately tried to figure out how he had come to such a life. Why on earth did you decide to marry, especially on this misunderstanding in a white dress? The last thought was so clearly read on his face that I almost laughed out loud. And she leaned forward, eagerly absorbing other people’s emotions, trying not to miss a single second of the performance unfolding in front of the temple.

The bride touched the groom on the shoulder, looked anxiously into his eyes. It looked quite natural: the girl was worried about her faltering beloved. But at least two of those present – she and I – knew for sure that the cause of her concern lay elsewhere. Someone made a joke about men’s fear of marriage. Someone decided to blame the weather for everything: they say, in such heat, it won’t take long to lose consciousness. The rest picked up, offered to step under the canopy of the temple as soon as possible. The wedding spun and spun again, some sang, others hurried inside, new guests drove up, and amid the noise, din and flickering of festive dresses, it was no longer easy to catch the groom’s pale, hunted face. Nevertheless, I focused on it: everything else was much less interesting now.

Not more than a minute passed, but I think the groom felt ten years older. Emotions changed at a rapid pace. At first he was simply disoriented, then he was surprised, then he was on the verge of panic, and everything ended with doom. I sighed in disappointment. It is hardly worth expecting more from a person, but sometimes you want to make a mistake… Alas. It must be the fault of all social beings. You can resist the opinions of others, you can even rebel, but only under certain conditions. Not when dozens, if not hundreds of individuals are constantly watching you, and everyone is waiting for the same thing, and you don’t have time to think and mentally prepare.

And here is the result: a man dutifully goes down the aisle, although more than anything in the world he would like to be now far away. From the point of view of any court, it goes voluntarily. Public pressure doesn’t count. You can reject a girl, cancel an engagement, even not show up to your own wedding. But if he came – if you please, act according to the plan. Do not upset guests and future relatives. And do not care that one short scandal is much easier to endure than endless years with an unloved wife. Disappointing everyone at once is so terrible that a person does not even realize the full extent of his horror. He just doesn’t take it seriously. This fear has very ancient roots. Since then, when the disturber of the peace could well have been stoned, and even earlier – simply gnawed.

Well, the facts are there, the guy practically gave up. You can safely go further, the road has long been cleared. And yet something in the eyes of the groom is not completely extinguished. Maybe that’s why I decided to give him one last chance. And, catching his eye, she nodded to the empty seat in the wagon. Didn’t do anything more. I just kept watching to see what he did.

Alas, as expected, the representative of the human race disappointed – his gaze quickly lost interest. Turning away, the groom continued his way to the entrance to the temple, to which there were only a couple of steps. The bride babbled something joyful, and he nervously fiddled with a bracelet woven from fresh flowers, which the newlyweds traditionally wore. I think this decoration of life symbolizes the fragility of marital happiness. Personally, I can’t find any other explanation. Apparently, the degree of excitement of the guy went off scale, because he managed to break the stalk, and withered dandelions fell sadly on the steps.

As listless as the flowers, the groom bent down to pick up this dubious value, and suddenly, with unexpected agility, rushed away. Swiftly, without looking back, skirting the crowded guests at the temple porch. He briskly jumped over the low fence, as if he had specially trained ten times a day, and jumped into my chariot.

– Faster! he grunted, looking over his shoulder, “the sea of guests was restlessly wavering, and a wave of chase could overwhelm us at any second.

I beamed and waved my whip. My “animal”, disguised as a horse, did not even feel it. The mental command, or rather a request, because such a horse cannot be subdued by force, worked much better, and we rushed along the dusty road. Rashtang practically does not need a run: this creature from the world of Darkness loves speed. Now he had to restrain himself with all his strength, because if a horse, harnessed to a chariot to boot, picks up a hundred miles per hour, or, even better, flies over the earth, forgetting the laws of gravity… In a word, people may misunderstand this.

But they correctly understood something else: the groom was literally off the hook. Quite naturally, this worried the bride and her father. And that’s why the rest were worried… Probably, the reason is that they were deprived of the opportunity to rejoice (read: gloat) at the happiness of their neighbor. The crowd is always slow to think, but if it starts to act, it is better to stay away from it. Each individually can be a great guy or a charming woman, but in total, contrary to all the laws of mathematics, they are an insane and merciless creature. Another phenomenon of mankind that does not have a more or less decent explanation.

One way or another, the whole gang rushed after us in pursuit, the most frisky saddled their horses or jumped into their own chariots. The groom, turning around and firmly squeezing the back side with his fingers, watched the crowd with gnashing of teeth.

– Faster! he barked, almost commanding this time, but I wasn’t offended. And with pleasure I conveyed to the rashtang the request to speed up.

Is it necessary to specify with what joy he obeyed?

Exposing my face to the gusts of cool wind, I burst out laughing. The chase was in full swing. People ran, shouted, whistled, jumped, but although some managed to shorten the distance, they could not catch up with us. The chariot bounced over the potholes, the street quickly ran back, the forest loomed ahead. It was what was needed. For the sake of such an adventure, it was definitely worth driving through a small quiet town.

– They will catch up, – the groom shook his head, peering into the carts of especially zealous pursuers.

– No chance, – I grinned.

If the rashtang and I allowed some of them to come closer, it was only so that it would not be too boring.

– Listen, Eitan! – A guy of about twenty-five leaned dangerously over the edge, while the driver drove the chariot, not sparing the poor horse. – Stop! Come back before it’s too late! I understand, I got excited, it can happen to anyone. But it can’t be like that! I tell you as a friend!

– I’ve only known you for three days! – What, to the forces of Darkness, friend?! the groom yelled back, not even thinking of giving up.

We broke away from the pursuers, and he, turning his back to the chase, clutched his head and groaned:

– What kind of enchanting nonsense was going on here? It’s like I woke up from a nightmare, and the creatures from the dream are still chasing me. Or am I crazy? One Prince of Light will sort it out.

– The Prince of Light has nothing to do with it, – I said authoritatively. – The Prince of Darkness, by the way, too. It is exclusively the work of human hands. As in most cases, however. What is your fiancee’s name, by the way?

– Leah, – he replied in surprise, not quite understanding how my question was related to the previous conversation.

– Beautiful name, – I said. And the girl is attractive. She’s probably a great cook too. Have you eaten anything delicious from her? Or maybe drinking?

– I drank coffee, – the guy admitted. – I visited her father on business. It was embarrassing to dine, but to drink a cup is a sacred thing. Their coffee is special, with spices, foreign.

– Yes Yes. And how long ago did you get into the habit of jumping into this “holy cause”?

– I don’t remember exactly, – he said again. – About two weeks, maybe. Well, yes, I made an offer exactly ten days ago, so it goes something like this… But why did I make it?! He ran his hands through his hair in desperation.

– Because the coffee from the love potion is delicious and strong. – Are you savvy?

Eitan looked up at me, frowning. He leaned back, putting his fingers to his forehead. As you can see, the picture in the brain took shape quickly, and his face brightened.

– And you seem to be right, – he finally said.

– Looks like it, – I mimicked. I can’t even remember the last time I was wrong. You were not yet born at that time.

– Listen, who are you anyway? – The guy squinted suspiciously.

Looks like the picture turned out even better than I expected.

– Your savior, – I stated the obvious. You could say it’s a guardian angel. Then I burst out laughing again, imagining how real angels grind their teeth, if, of course, one of them heard me.

– That’s right, – Eitan chuckled, dismissing his suspicions out of gratitude. In any case, for the time being. – But what is your name, anyway?

– Call me Arafel. And you are Eitan, I already understood that.

He nodded, frowning and still holding his head. Suddenly it seemed to dawn on him.

– Wait, what is it, a girl abducted me from the wedding?

His shoulders began to shake slightly.

– You can say that.

This time we laughed together. Eitan’s eyes grew more and more unhealthy. A sharp removal of the curse – what else, in a good way, would you call a love spell? – a specific thing, a bit like alcohol intoxication and may well lead a person into a state of euphoria.

I looked back. The last of the pursuers fell noticeably behind. The wind, amused, distinctly conveyed their abuse to us.

– Oh, you black-haired whore! – no one calmed down. – So that you are sick all your life, so that your life is short, so that the angels of the door to the heavenly chamber slam shut in front of you!

If the first two wishes only made me giggle, then the last one really pissed me off. Angels? Yes, so that I myself put myself in them? There was a hunt! But if I need it for some reason, which one of them will stop me, I would like to know? Furrowed brows drew together at the bridge of his nose; thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. My eyes narrowed and opened wide again, and a curse flew towards the foul language. Of course, his offense will not be so difficult to live, but he will break his leg or arm, that’s for sure.

Eitan didn’t notice anything, except he looked up, trying to understand where the storm was coming from. I did not see any clouds in the sunset sky and turned around again, estimating how far we had gone from the chase.

– Wow! Well, you have a horse! he whistled.

– The best in the kingdom! – I proudly assured, not indulging in clarifications regarding the true nature of the steed.

– The wind is whistling in your ears! And maybe even faster? Eitan asked excitedly.

– Easily!

And with my permission, the rashtang rushed at full speed. The pursuers finally disappeared from sight, and we did not meet others who wanted to travel late. So we managed to fully enjoy the crazy ride, yelling at the top of our lungs. And no one saw how unnaturally fast the chariot rushes, and most importantly, how from time to time it literally flies without touching the ground with its wheels…