NIGHT by I. Rin (fantasy books to read .TXT) 📖

two of you will ride together. But not me, I will ride alone because my foot aches a lot.” Swein, Edward and Margo looked at Lica.

 

“Okay, okay,” waved the girl. “If you need someone - I will!” She looked at Edward and Swein, and realized that it would

 

be a difficult choice.

 

“So,” Angelica said slowly, “half way I’m going with Edward and half way - with Swein. Otherwise the horses will get tired.”

 

“Indeed, it’s a wise decision!” the witch smiled. “Otherwise, the horses will be really tired to the bone!”

 

Lica gave her hand to Edward; he helped her to climb on a horse, and then sat at the back. Margo and Swein had been already waiting for them on the road.

 

“Well, come on!” commanded the witch, and a small troop went to the rising above mountains.

Reappearance

 

 

Swein was riding first, Margo - behind him, and Prince Edward with Angelica was the last.

 

“Angelica,” the Prince said quietly. “I have never dreamed to see you again! But God knows, I was always thinking of you! Do you remember our dance at the ball, and our kiss?”

 

“But you have given your life for a potion for a Princess!” “It was just a matter of honor! Because it was my fault that she lost her sight!”

 

“And what about me I have nearly lost my life because of you,” she wanted to say, but didn’t. Then she said:

 

“And why did you go down to the Well of Oppression?”

 

“I was sure that I would never revive. I was suffering so much that I just lost in the hell of hopelessness... But how were you able to convince the Prince of Vampires to help me?”

 

“The Prince is very clever! He is well aware that without you the kingdom would be in trouble! Actually, it has already happened.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I think Margo can explain you everything, because I really cannot understand anything. The one thing I know that something bad is happening in the Kingdom of Night.”

 

They didn’t notice how they passed the half-way.

 

“Well, Edward, your horse must be tired. I have to ride with Swein now!” Lica said.

 

“Load cod codswallop! My horse will hold both of us until the end of the way!”

 

“Don’t torture a poor animal!” the girl said then called:

 

“Swein, I am changing the horse, could you take me!”

 

The Goblins’ King slowed down, waiting for Angelica to bestride. Then he pulled the reins and rode forward.

 

“Well, how is Edward?” he asked sarcastically.

 

“Excellent!” Lica shot back.

 

“Did you talk about the wedding?”

 

“Swein, I promise you, you’ll know about it first!”

 

“Where did you learn to bite?” Swein chuckled.

 

“Oh! I had a wonderful teacher!” said the girl.

 

They were riding very fast. Angelica, cuddling to the Goblins’ King, could hear the beating of his heart. Lica did not understand herself, but she would have given a lot if only this road had been longer... However, very soon they saw the mountains in front. Riders came to the witch’s cave. Edward helped Angelica and Margo to get off, while Swein went to tie horses. With Lica’s help the witch limping went to the cave, where they were met by harassed Elsa.

 

“Madam, I was so worried! When I came this morning, nobody was at home! I had different premonitions running in my head,” she muttered.

 

“Elsa, stop talking and set the table! We are going to have a party!” Margot exclaimed.

 

The Goblin woman instantly disappeared.

 

“Can I have a shower?” asked Angelica.

 

“Go to the end of this corridor - there is a bathroom!” the witch pointed.

 

The girl nodded and went there. In the corridor, she met Elsa. “Elsa, dear, could you help me to find a bath, please!” she said.

 

“This way!” the maid smiled. “You look as if you were digging the ground!”

 

She took Lica up to the end of the corridor, showed her the bathroom and lit the candles.

 

“There is hot water in the boiler!” Elsa said. “I have heated it up. Bath well! I’ll get you some clean clothes. Leave the dirty one here – I’ll clean it later.”

 

The Goblin Woman put a clean towel on the stool and walked out, closing the door. Angelica immediately filled the bath, took off her dirty clothes and doused into the warm water.

 

“What a delight!” she said aloud.

 

At this point, she heard the sound of Elsa’s footsteps in the corridor.

 

“I need to take the advantage of it,” thought Lica.

 

She turned her back to the door quickly soaping a sponge. At this moment the maid came in. Angelica, without turning around, handed her the sponge and asked:

 

“Soap my back, please!”

 

Elsa, without a word, took the sponge and lathered Lica well.

 

“God, Heaven!” the girl said.

 

“Just a bit!” a man’s voice answered.

 

Angelica turned around and saw... Swein. Screaming she flung into the water, then surfaced and shouted:

 

“What the hell are you doing here? Do not look at me!” “Actually, I came here to wash up,” the Goblin said, turning back to Lica. “We have agreed with Edward that first - me, then he would. And now I do not regret that I was first.”

 

“You are clown!”

 

“Well, I know that!” Swein chuckled. “Even though, what have I done? I just went to the bathroom, and you asked me to soap your back! I could not refuse!”

 

“But I thought it was Elsa!”

 

“And this is - the question! Did you really think so? Maybe, you were waiting for Edward?”

 

“Swein!” Lica was furious. “Give me a towel immediately! And do not turn round! It is there - on the stool - beside you!”

 

“Please!” snorted the Goblins’ King, and without turning around, he threw her the towel. It hit right into the girl’s face.

 

“Well, Swein, now hold on there!” she said threateningly, shielding in the towel.

 

“Can I go now?” asked Swein.

 

“No, I’d better go!” Angelica exclaimed.

 

The girl pushed the Goblins’ King and went into the corridor.

 

There, she came across Elsa carrying her dress.

 

Lica immediately grabbed it, ran into her room and got dressed. The dress was pretty simple, but elegant. After the dusty jeans and a pullover Angelica looked like a princess. She went into the dining room where Margot and Prince Edward were already sitting at the table. The Prince looked at her admiringly.

 

“Take your seat,” the witch invited her. “Dinner is ready!” “Thank you! I’m starving! It’s because of nerves, probably!”  Lica said.

 

“Ladies, I’ll join you immediately as soon as I wash up!” Edward said.

He stood up and left the room.

 

“Angelica, you shook me to the core!” Margo smiled. “I un-derstood why the ritual hadn’t worked first. You told me that you were in love with several men at once, and it was true! Therefore, when you kissed just Edward, the spell did not work. But when you kissed them both - Edward and Swein - everything came out as I predicted! And the souls came back to their own bodies. But, Angelica, you have to make up your mind! Men are possessive and they will not be able to share you with each other. You have to make a choice!”

 

“Margo, that’s not the half of the story...” she said lack as ink. “When I was looking for the soul of the Prince, I had to ask Prince of Vampires’ help and I promised him my favor in return.”

“One thing is on the top of another! Now the Prince will never forget your promise. You will see, he will remind you it. Do you like him? The Lord, I mean...”

“Yes, very,” Lica nodded. “But so do I like Swein and Edward! And I cannot choose one.”

 

 At that moment Swein came in. He was dressed clean, and the drops of water were still glistening in his hair.

“We’ll talk to you about it later,” Margo said, referring to the girl. Fifteen minutes later, looking well, Edward also joined them

 

at the table, he was as handsome as never before.

 

“I have a toast!” said the witch loudly. “A toast to our success! After all, thanks to luck we are here at this wonderful table now, drinking this good wine!”

They all drank, and then Prince Edward said:

 

“My dear friends, first I want to thank you all for my sal-vation! I have never thought that I will be alive again, but for what it’s worth, I would like to know what is going on in the Kingdom of Night!”

 

“Oh! Big changes,” the witch said slowly. “So big then you will not tell at one go. But the worst thing is that after the death of the evil sorcerer, on the other end of the Kingdom the Evil was released; and now it is going to be an uphill struggle to put it back!”

 

“By the way,” said the Goblins’ King, “the Mystery Paths are changing direction.”

“And the Sleepy Lake has been much bigger!” Angelica added. “Cut a long story short, Prince Edward,” continued Margo, “today we’ve got a great deal of work ahead of us! I’ll tell you every-thing what had happened while you were dead. Angelica and Swein  need a good rest! They have done difficult job.”

 

They sat at the table a little more, and then the witch stood up, took Edward with her and left the room with the permission of Lica and Swein. The Goblins’ King was sitting quietly and staring at Lica, after a moment he said:

 

“I’ve found something in the bathroom.”

 

“What?”

 

“Here it is!”

 

And Swein pulled the stiletto from somewhere.

 

“Oh, God! My stiletto! It was in my clothes!” Angelica exclaimed.

 

“That’s right.”

 

“You have stolen it from my clothes!” she went off.

 

“Not exactly! Stiletto was on the floor next to your clothes.” “So give it to me!”

“No! I have thought about it and made a decision. I gave you stiletto, and now I am going to take it back.”

“But why?”

 

“I do not want you to be able to get to Edward’s room so easily.”

“Are you jealous of him?” Lica smirked.

 

“I just want to equal our chances!” said the Goblins’ King. “But what if I need to get to the Kingdom of the Night

urgently?”

 

“I’ll think about it. And now, excuse me, I must leave you. I need a good rest!”

Swein rose from the table, picked up the stiletto and left the room.

Escape

 

 

Angelica was terribly nervous. She realized that now she had lost the key of the door to the Kingdom of Night.

“What have I done?” she exclaimed. “I closed the way to the Kingdom with my own hands. Now I will be bound hand and foot!”

The girl jumped up from the chair and began to pace ner-vously. Little by little she had an idea. She went to the mirror hanging on the wall, and