The Mist and the Lightning. Part 11 - стр. 14
“Me and the doctors, we will cure him!”
“Nonsense!”
“Is it impossible to restore the ligaments? Well? Answer the truth.”
“Maybe. Would you get the tattoos off him too?”
“Yes!”
Nikto laughed:
“How long will you have to mess around! And the scar?”
“We'll come up with something! And in the Upper World, doctors work miracles!”
“She’s just the forester’s daughter.”
“Yes, she is. But I'll become a queen! Do you think I won’t write out the best red, and white, if necessary, doctors for my beloved brother?”
“And he will become as good as new and then open the portal, and Rosa will be sitting there and waiting, huh?” Nikto finished for Karina.
“Yes,” said Karina, “she is waiting for him. I believe it! And my brother, so handsome, healthy, without tattoos and scars, and sighted. He will embrace her, they will hold each other, and he will say, “I promised I wouldn’t leave you and would come back!” And she will cry with happiness. And she will say, “Could you? The demon is no longer in you?” And she will run her fingers over the barely visible scar on his face.”
“And he will say: “My sister Karina helped me! My savior! I couldn't have done it without her!” Nikto said. “Karina, just don't cry, okay?”
“I won’t cry, you can scoff as much as you want!”
“And they will live happily, there, in the forest hut. Quiet and secluded. Well, and you, you will live happily in the palace, be a queen. You're crazy?”
“Say what you want! Only she is a quiet and modest daughter of a forester, and she is twenty-five years old, and every day she sits at the portal and waits and believes. And I believe! And you! You know it!”
“No,” Nikto shook his head, “I don't know it. The Upper world is not in my power.”
“If my brother managed to escape then, he would be free,” Karina said.
“But he failed.”
“At least he managed to save his Rosa. Poor, poor brother of mine. I will help him!”
“Arel, what will you say?” Nikto tugged slightly on the chain, fastened with one side to the ring in the prince’s nose, the other end was wrapped around Nikto’s wrist.
“She will forget about her brother as soon as she drives into the Red Royal Palace,” Arel said, “then it would be safer to leave him to my idiot Vil Luven. He will really take care of the cripple.”
“Do you hear?” Nikto tried to turn his head to Karina.
“You say as if I hadn’t taken you out of prison!” She said indignantly, and she really wanted to pull his hair with force.
“Wow! Yes! It was a real feat!”
“Are you kidding? I won’t comb your hair again then!”
“Yes, come on really, get finished, I'm tired of it. And it's time to go.”
Valentine, who timidly entered the room, froze on the threshold, the lower part of his face was covered with an iron strip of the muzzle, but the frightened eyes spoke for themselves.
“Is everything ready?” Lis asked sharply, he finished the wine from the glass in a couple of sips and got up from the table.
“I… yes… there…” Valentine began to stutter, trembling.
“What the fuck is it?!” Lis swore.
“A sir has come to you… he said that his name was V… Vitor… Kors!”
“WHAT?!”
Karina jumped up:
“Father?!”
“Damn it,” Lis shouted in annoyance, “he came when we need to leave! We didn't have enough time!”
He jabbed his finger towards Nikto:
“I said that we would not be in time!” Lis began to swear.