ISBN 978-5-0056-0301-2 (т. 4)

      ISBN 978-5-0055-4050-8

      Created with Ridero smart publishing system

      Night visits

      Sacrifice everything for the sake of moment. Only a fool can dare for it, but I have always been distinguished by an amazing recklessness. Poets also sacrifice their lives, waiting for the moment of inspiration. Unlike them, I still loved risking. By throwing in the most dangerous adventures, I usually wanted to prove my courage, but this time I was attracted to annoy Odil. To visit her on a visit to the ghost position and get out of this wasp’s nest, which she calls the castle, unharmed.

      Perhaps her royal residence was the only one in the world in which the invisible guests cannot penetrate without permission. My subjects could penetrate without permission anywhere, but not here. All other windows and doors were available for them, despite the vigilant watch and gatekeepers. My elves could pass invisible past any guards, fly through an attic window, squeeze as the easiest smoke into the narrow slits or even pass through the walls, but in the case of Odil, none of these tricks has been triggered. Her spinners were better than any guards, and controlled everything. Neither the robber nor a conspirator nor an evil spirit had a progress in the queen’s castle.

      I managed to put the vigilance of spinners. I was able to overcome the spells which enclosed the castle and flew up to the window of the throne hall. I indifferently slid with a look on elegant guests dressed for ball. The magnificent throne, what was standing on an elevation under the purple canopy seemed poor to me in comparison with the one that was waiting for me in my castle. The candelabrums of a skillful forging also looked too rough in comparison with those which gnomes have long made specifically for my ballroom halls. I remained cool until a slim girl released from the circle of the cavaliers. For the backs of the fans it was difficult even for me to consider her, but as soon as she separated from the crowd, the light of all candles focused on her figure. A dress made of pink silk with an overwhelmed waist fit her. The satin ribbon covered the chest and was gathered in a bow on her back. The queen forced Rose to be content with the simple gems, but even Rose was not a princess, who would be able to take a look from her.

      Freely she was for a short time, until the ranks of the guests were kept. Then on the one hand, the elderly music teacher began to read her lectures, on the other hand went the governess of the harsh appearance. It even seemed to me that now the evil couple will bring a beautiful child to tears, but Rose showed a good sense. In response to pretty unceremonious notations, she smiled very cute, said something biting and moved away, leaving her mentors to fade from indignation.

      Probably, besides me, no one noticed that tears appeared in her eyes. I almost felt her despair when she quickly went, almost ran through the dark gallery, heading into her apartments. Even without being a sorcerer, it was possible to understand that even the gloomy clouds hung over Roshen would be more preferable to her than the society of envious persons.

      I wanted to console the girl just how to do it. Awakening the dragon, the prince expected that he would scare people, and not sympathize with them. I was invisible to the eyes and inviolable for the charms. In one moment I found the room of princess.

      Even the rays of the lamp in the bedroom could not exit my silhouette from darkness. As I guessed, Rose sat on the bed and cried. I came silently to her and stroked her slightly on the hair. She did not see me, but she felt the touch and recalled, like from the fire. I accidentally hit the ribbon and that fell out of her hair, the same thin like a walkway from the tears on the cheek of the princess.

      «Do not cry, child!» I said, trying to give my voice a pleasant sound and sounds rolled on the bedroom, like magic music. Rose was fixed, for a moment it even seemed to me that she saw me.

      «Who are you?» She asked persistently, it was clearly she felt next to her my presence.

      «I am your friend, although other people consider me as their sworn enemy.»

      «Where are you?» Rose, squinting, looked in the right direction, but did not see anyone. «Show me, I ask you,» she whispered, and it was unlikely that someone who turned out to be in my place could refuse to such charming creation.

      «Not yet time,» For the sake of it, I retreated away from the light of the lamp, at least I managed to interest the girl with my unusual invasion and she no longer cried. «Do you want, I will bring you a few jewels or any thing you dream about,» I suggested without much hope, it was unlikely that she wanted to take gifts from the ghost. «During the night, I could fly through the whole earth and bring wonderful things from the farthest countries for you.»

      «Are you an angel?» Her question put me in a dead end.

      «Otherwise, how can you fly through all the earth in one night?» continued Rose.

      «I flew here. I live in the far country, in that state that you can not find in any map.»

      «So beautiful?» she asked in more joyful tone. Rose led her interrogation with a truly childish excitement.

      «Yes,» I agreed. «And there is still very dangerous.»

      «And you are not afraid of living there?»

      «No,» I answered at such a naive question quite seriously, without even smiling. «For me, the local ruler does not offer any threat.»

      «Why?»

      «It is me!»

      On the moment, Rose kept even silent from amazement. It seemed to me that she was now afraid and would begin to call for help, but she was still interested in looking into the emptiness, just at the place where I stood.

      Making sure that she does not distinguish my silhouette, and only looked in the direction where the voice came from, I approached her and touched her hair again.

      «You are even more beautiful than on the stage!» I noticed delightedly, and felt her thin shoulders shuddered from amazement.

      «Yes, I was there to watch you,» I replied to an unspoken question. «By the way, it was stupid to say that you saw an angel in the theater’s box.»

      «But I really saw,» Rosa reached for a candle, but even without touching the candelabrum standing on the table with one mental strengthening I pushed it aside, so that her fingers almost didn’t reach a copper handle. The icon-lamp also began to shine a little weaker, I did not extinguish it completely, because, unlike me, Rose could not distinguish colors in the darkness.

      «Have you told about the angel to the whole court?»

      «Only to a few people, but they did not believe me,» Rose explained with contempt. The development of insights in her was ahead of years. Living at the court, in the circle of gossips and intriguers she exposed the lies in her surrounding.

      «Maybe you’ll show me?» Rose got out of the bed, made some incorrect steps on the carpet. She pulled her hands forward like a sleep-walker, trying to touch someone in an empty space.

      «My appearance will mislead you,» I patiently explained. «Remember, princess, a stranger can take you the most direct road to the gates of hell.»

      I gave her a subtle hint, rephrased something a little that I said once. Did she recognize my voice? Or did she just guess? Usually she had enough a word to understand the truth.

      «So your appearance is deceptive if invisible can have some kind of appearance in general,» Rose dropped to the couch and laughed quietly. «Not all that is gold that glitters. Is it right?»

      «Yes,» no one could say more accurately. I got on one knee in front of the couch where Rose was sitting and stroked her on the shoulder. «In your life and in the vulnerable world, I am just… a shadow. You agree to call me your friend.»

      «Yes,»