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

jump on a horse and rush into the Ghosts Fields. I have almost stopped to sleep but I do not feel tired... Any cuts heal such quickly that I have never even dreamt of. So, I have summed up all facts and came to the disappointing conclusion - I'm turning into a vampire. Without telling anyone, I went to the witch and she confirmed my fears. Then I asked her to help me but she said: ‘You must go to the land of your ancestors, fight with the Wizard and find the Magic Crystal. It is your destiny! Remember, what happened when you had gone to the Wizard, being an ordinary mortal goblin? He had cheated and fatally wounded you. Now you have a trump card – you are turning into a vampire, then, in fact you are immortal! For the Wizard it will be very difficult to win you. If only he will not use a silver bullet or an aspen stake. But he still does not know anything about you, so the advantage is in your hands.’”

“Has she refused to heal you?” Lica exclaimed.

The Prince nodded.

“So, are you a vampire now?”

“Not really... The witch said that the process of turning would take quite a long time. And she promised to heal me after I had brought the Magic Crystal. But she warned me about something. She said that if I did finally turn into a vampire until the end of the mission I would forget about it and in general everything. That is why I have come, “broken into”, as you had said. I wish someone would know my secret because if I became a vampire, I would not be able to control myself. At first I wanted to tell Henry about that but then thought I’d better not worry him. Therefore I have chosen you. Today I'm going for the Crystal and you’ll keep in touch with Henry. If I am not back in a couple of months, tell him everything!”

“But I cannot contact Henry. He always finds me himself!”

“You know that I'm not shy of being a magician,” the Prince smiled.

He got up and took a long and narrow dirk in elegant scabbard out of his wide black cloak.

“Take it!”

“What is it?”

“It is the thing which will help you to keep touch with Henry! When you want to get into the castle, just go to your mirror and put the dirk in the place between the glass and the frame. You will open the door to the castle. But when you go through the mirror, do not forget to pull it out and take the dirk with you, otherwise you will stay in the Kingdom of Night forever.”

Angelica took the knife carefully, got it out of its scabbard and examined. It was narrow and very sharp. Its handle was made of chrysolite and had the form of some obscure monster with two heads.

“It is beautiful!” Lica said.

“Well, I've got to go my dear lady!” the Prince said quickly. “I told Henry to prepare the horse. Just in case, good-bye, Angelica!”

The girl was ready to hug him on the neck, but stopped herself. Then he walked quickly to the dressing table, went up and jumped into the mirror. After a second the mirror fogged up and when the glass was clear, Lica saw herself and her room again...

Angelica would think that it just had seemed to her. But the sharp dirk, which she was holding in her hands, did not let her doubt.

“Oh my God!” she thought. “Poor Prince! At first it was Swein, now the vampire! What will happen next?”

She put the dirk on the table and walked around the room nervously.

“What if he turned into the vampire before he would find this stupid Crystal? No, I cannot let him go alone! This could end badly!” Lica decided.

She quickly went to the kitchen and wrote a note for her parents:

 

I will stay at Sveta’s! We are going to study for tests!

Lica

 

Then she called her friend Svetlana and prevented her of telling Lica’s parents the truth.

After that Angelica went to her room and quickly changed clothes. As her suit, she traveled in the Kingdom of Night, was depraved, she put on her usual jeans and a pullover. Then she made her hair in a ponytail and looked in the mirror. Satisfied with the result, she put her trainers on, took the dirk and went to the mirror. She stuck the blade in between the glass and the frame, as the Prince had told you. For a minute, nothing was happening. But then reflection of Lica’s room was darkened and she saw the luxurious room with a fireplace again. Now not hesitating, Angelica climbed on the table and stepped into the mirror. Remembered the Prince’s warning, she put her hand back and pulled the dirk out.

Jumping down, she looked around. A large antique mirror was hanging over the carved wooden nightstand. Lica still could see her room in the mirror but after a few seconds the image became dark and vanished. And she saw the surrounding furniture and herself in the mirror.

The girl hid the dirk in the pocket of jeans. However, it was too big and she had to make a hole to put it in. having finished with this, Lica immediately rushed to look for the Prince or Henry.

When she ran into the big room she heard the sound of hooves through the open window. Angelica came to the window and looked out. She saw the Prince riding out of the yard of the castle and Henry standing and looking at him.

“Henry!” Lica screamed as loudly as she could. “Stop the Prince! Can you hear me, Henry?”

But the old servant did not even turn around.

Then she rushed to the door. She ran out into the wide courtyard and literally bumped nose-to-nose with Henry.

“The young lady?” the old man was taken aback. “Oh, what clothes! But how?”

“Not now, Henry! Tell me if there is a saddled horse in the stables?”

“Actually, yes... I have saddled two horses to choose from. The Prince has chosen the white one; it’s friskier. The black one I have not unsaddled yet.”

“Excellent!” Angelica nodded.

She ran to the stable, jumped on the black horse and rode up to the discouraged Edward’s servant.

“Henry, I have no time now. But I swear, I’ll explain everything later!”

The girl spurred her horse and went out of the yard. The old man just waved his hand.

The crystal!

Lica looked around. Far ahead in the bright moonlight she saw the figure of the rider.

“Oh, the Prince!” she said to herself. “No, he won’t get away from me!”

She pulled the reins and started up the horse in a gallop. Soon the distance between her and the rider was getting short. When Angelica was even closer, she shouted:

“Prince! Where are you going in such a hurry? My horse has lathered!”

The young man turned around and pulled up his horse.

“Angelica? What the hell are you doing here?” he asked quite rudely.

“I have decided to ride with you!” the girl retorted.

“Young ladies had better stay at home! And furthermore, two months have not passed yet!”

“Prince, I thought that you wouldn’t cope with your mission,” Angelica said calmly. “And what if you turned into the vampire faster than could find the Magic Crystal? Because then you wouldn’t control yourself or even would forget who you were and where you were going... So I have decided to look after you.”

The Prince was thinking for a moment. And then he said:

“There is a little sense in your words. Well, let's go together! But be careful if I do turn into the vampire, I can hurt you, even kill you. And after that I won’t remember anything. Are not you scared?”

“I'm not as simple as before,” Lica said. “I have taken fencing lessons and I can assure you that it is not so easy to kill me!”

The young man smiled and nodded.

“Well, let’s go ahead!” he said.

And two riders went on into the night. They had been riding for quite a long time until the horses were finally exhausted. Then the Prince turned into a small village. He jumped off his horse and went into the first house on the road.

“Feed the horses, and give a room for the girl, where she can relax!” he ordered the farmers, who lived in this house.

Of course they have known their master’s face and quickly followed all his orders. They made the soft bed for Angelica. She was really very tired. But going to sleep she warned a farmer woman discreetly:

“If you suddenly see the Prince is going away, wake me up immediately!”

Lica fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow. She did not know how long she had been sleeping but she woke up because someone was shaking her shoulder. It was the farmer woman.

“Our Master has saddled the horse!” she said quickly, seeing that Angelica had woken up.

The girl immediately got up and ran out of the house.

“Prince, are you going to leave me here alone!” she called the young man, sitting in the saddle.

“No way my dear! Where am I going without you?” the Prince answered spitefully.

The farmer led the saddled horse to Lica and she jumped into the saddle.

“How did you sleep?” the Prince asked.

“Very well!” Angelica said and first pulled the reins.

They went on...

Our heroes had been traveling for several days, until they reached the borders of the Kingdom of Night. There was normal order of night and day.

“I cannot see in the light of the day,” the Prince said. “Now we can go only at night that will delay our journey a lot.”

“Yes, but during the day I’ll be able to sleep,” Lica was glad.

“Ah, yes...” the young man said pensively. “I forgot that you would need a rest!”

He has not slept for a long time and has eaten very little and Angelica was afraid that Prince would turn into the vampire. But he was all right and remembered everything. It calmed the girl.

Having left the Kingdom of Night, Lica and the Prince were moving only at night. During the day they were hiding in a shelter, where Angelica could sleep. Thus more than a week has passed.

One day at dusk the riders, as usual, set off. And suddenly on the horizon, the young man noticed a tall castle.

“Look!” he pointed at it. “This is the land of my ancestors! My great - great - great - ... well, a great-grandfather lived in this castle.”

“We have really got?!” the girl took a breath relieved.

“How to say... It is a couple of days more travel from here to the castle.”

Indeed, exactly in two days Angelica and the Prince arrived at the great building. There was the tall wall around the castle and the wide moat filled with water in front of it.

“I have a feeling that the bridge is not provided,” Lica said.

“You are absolutely right. Let's swim across. You are not afraid of getting wet your wonderful feet with such odd shoes, aren’t you?” the Prince asked sarcastically.

“You can be absolutely sure for my feet and shoes!” the girl retorted.

Then the young man rode up to Angelica and took her reins. Then he led his horse into the water and Lica was following him. The horses went into the water obediently and swam across the moat. On the opposite side Lica and the Prince dismounted and tied their horses to a small bush that grew nearby.

“Follow me! I'll show you the secret passage,” the Prince said quietly.

He took Angelica’s hand and led her...

They walked along the fort and soon the young man noticed a small stone sticking out of the wall almost at the ground. The Prince pushed it. There was a noise and a little wicket opened.

“It still works!” the Prince Night said satisfied. “Let’s go inside!”

He first came in to the secret door. Lica followed him...

They were in the wide yard. It was perfectly quiet and empty. And the castle