NIGHT by I Rin (best books to read .TXT) 📕

began to spin and she fell back on the grass.

“What a queasy feeling...” she murmured.

Then she pulled herself up and tried to sit down.

“I could find the soul of the Prince!” she said to Swein.

“But could I allure it into the amphora, I do not know. You brought me back into the body just at the time when we flew up to it. So the only way to find it out is to get the amphora! Help me up.”

Goblins’ King gave Lica his hand and helped her up. The girl stood a little, paced about until she got better. Then she remembered about Swein’s kiss and shouted at him:

“By the way, Swein, could you explain me, please, why did you touch absolutely defenseless body?”

“What do you mean?” Prince raised his left eyebrow.

“Do not deny it! I saw the whole thing. You kissed me. When I came out of the body.”

“Angelica, you must have post levitation symptom!”

“Oh, nonsense!” Lica exclaimed and ran with her fists on the Goblins’ King.

Swein laughed and dodged it.

“Angelica, be careful! You can harm the body of your future fiancé!” he continued laughing.

The girl kicked the nearest stone out of spite and said:

“Right! I do hurt Edward not you, that’s not fair! So, let’s wait, when Margo return your body then I will get my own back!”

Swein could not calm down and continued laughing and furious Lica went to the tree with a broken branch – to find the amphora.

She saw that tree afar. The girl ran to the amphora and looked. She saw a pulsing, iridescent, little ball inside.

“Hooray!” cried Lica. “Swein, we have done it! Edward's soul is inside.”

“Excellent!” the goblin said. “Then it's time to come back.”

Swein and Angelica went down to the boat. The girl sat in the stern, carefully holding the vessel with the soul of the Prince Night. The goblin king sat at the oars. He scratched a wound on his hand, so as not to fall asleep and began to row. Lica also picked a sore on the back of her hand. The moon had not crossed the horizon yet, but our travelers tied up on the other side. Their horses were waiting for them at the tree. Swein came up and unbent them.

“I know one more enchanted path near here,” he said. “I hope it has not changed its direction and we will drive directly to Margo’s cave.”

After that, he carefully put the amphora with the soul into the travel bag and sat on the horse. Angelica was already in the saddle.

“Let's go!” she said shortly.

King pulled the reins, and they started out.

The girl was not surprised when a thick fog muffled them. Once it vanished, the riders were not far from the city of Goblins.

“It is not the cave, but at least we are not under a werewolf nose!” concluded Swein. “Don’t worry very soon we are going to be there.”

They spurred horses and rode by loop road. After a few hours our heroes passed Swein’s crypt and came to the root of the mountains.

When they got to the witch's cave, they were surprised because Margo had already waited for them at the entrance.

“I knew that you were coming!” the witch smiled. “Well, come off or didn’t?”

“Come off,” Lica nodded, jumping from her horse down. “It's here, inside the amphora!”

Goblin King gently pulled the vessel out of his bag and handed it over to the witch.

“Excellent!” Margo said. “Now come into my house. I have set the table. You need to eat and get some rest. And tomorrow we'll be able to go through the ceremony of transmigration.”

The girl and the young man went inside the cave. They saw the familiar room where the witch used to meet them and richly laid table. There were so many different dishes that Angelica didn’t know where to look next.

“I've never seen such ampleness!” she had finally managed to say.

“Help yourself; Margo is a wizard of her hands!” said Swein. “Now can I understand what my father had found in her?”

And he burst of laughing.

Lica and the Goblins’ King ate well, and then coiling in the chair, she fell asleep. Swein covered her with a blanket and went to his room.

Margo gave them the opportunity to sleep for a few hours while she was reading magic books, cooking a variety of potions and choosing spells for the right ritual. When everything was ready, the witch and the Prince woke her up and said:

“It's time to go to the crypt!”

Swein and Angelica bundled, helped Margo to load everything on a horse and then, got on their horses, went to Swein’s crypt. Near the monument the riders dismounted and the witch began giving them instructions.

For a start our heroes lit four bright torches and placed them inside the room, according to the cardinal points. Then, on the floor of the crypt, Margo drew a huge pentagram. She was drawing various Cabbalistic symbols and signs in it. Then, in the center of the pentagram the witch placed the amphora with the soul of Prince Edward.

“Angelica, open the tomb!” Margo commanded.

Lica approached the tombstone and found the clover leaf. She pressed it, heard a click and the lid slid opened. Goblin King turned pale, when she opened his coffin.

“Look at you, Swein!” Lica said. “You have perfectly withstood the ravages of time!”

“No, thank you! Maybe next time, when I will revive again!” Swein parried.

Margo took the Prince’s hand and led him into one corner of the pentagram, and Angelica - into the other. After that, she forbade them to move and began to cast spell in some ancient language. She walked around the amphora and Swein and Lica, muttering and periodically splashing some smelling potion over them. Suddenly, the crypt was lit with the pale blue light. Thousands of tiny bright stars flashed in the air. The witch continued walking and mumbling something under her breath. Finally, she said:

“And let the kiss of true love return the soul into his body!”

“That's it! Kiss Edward!” Margo exclaimed loudly, turning to the girl.

Angelica, as if she was bewitched, came to Swein, who was in Prince Edward’s body, and kissed him. At that time something whistled, buzzed, and suddenly the Prince fell down. He was motionless and showed no signs of life. Blue light disappeared and Lica asked with fear:

“Margo! What happened?”

“Something went wrong,” the witch murmured.

She looked over Edward's body, then came to the coffin and looked at Swein’s.

“No, it is impossible!” she exclaimed. “They are both dead!”

Angelica ran to the amphora, looked into and saw two pulsating balls there.

“Margo! Look, there are two souls inside!” she cried. “Perform the ritual again! Let's try.”

“It is impossible!” the witch whispered. “There can be only one soul in a vessel!”

Not believing her eyes she took the amphora and looked inside.

“It’s a miracle!” just said Margo.

The witch pulled herself up and started again. Soon the crypt was lit with pale blue light again. Now not only was Margo walking around the pentagram, but also around the Swein’s coffin. She was splashing her potion over everything, muttering incomprehensible words. When the witch said her final phrase about the ‘kiss of true love’, Lica fell down on her knees and kissed the Prince Edward then went up to the coffin and kissed Swein – the Goblins’ King. Neither Angelica nor Margo understood what had happened next. They heard a terrible roar, and the walls of the tomb were pulling down. The girl screamed and shielding with her hands ran to the door. But a big piece of stucco hit her and she felt down without consciousness...

When Angelica awoke, she saw herself lying in ruins; it was all what remains of Swein’s tomb.

“Margo!” Lica called.

She immediately got on her feet, and despite the pain in her back, began to look for the witch. On the floor, where was drawn the pentagram, was a huge piece of stone.

“Edward, Swein...” cried the girl.

She went to the coffin, trying to push the stones aside. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps behind. Lica turned around and could not believe her eyes...

Among the ruins of the tomb she saw Prince Edward. She did not know what to do.

“Who is it - Edward or Swein in his body?” she said to herself.

“Angelica!” the Prince exclaimed. “You are alive! When I and Swein had saved Margo, I immediately rushed back to look for you!”

“Hooray!” Lica cried. “We did it! Both of you are alive!”

And she rushed to embrace Edward. At this point, a handsome young man, whose portrait was painted in the tomb, came into. He saw Angelica was hugging Edward, turned around and tried to steal softly out.

“Swein!” Lica called him. “Don’t you think that you could disappear so easily right now?!”

She ran to the man and fell on his neck.

“Angelica! Oh man, you are so exiting!” the young man smiled. “Be more modest, please, because your fiancé is here!”

“And what about Margo? Is she okay?” asked the girl. “Edward said that you had pulled her out of the rubble. Is she all right?”

“Almost yes, except her bruised feet,” said the Prince Night coming up.

The three of them got out of the tomb. Near there on the grass was sitting Margo. Seeing Angelica, she waved her hand and smiled.

“I didn’t know that you are a deep one!” the witch laughed. “All right, we'll talk later! And now I would like to invite everybody to my home. You need something else to do.”

Our heroes went to the horses, but there were only three of them.

“Why I didn’t think of taking another extra horse!” Margo said embarrassedly. “Well, the 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