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     When Alpik has left, the mirror before which it stood, was covered 
The ripples which have deformed reflexions, has begun to tremble and has disappeared. On its place it is perfect 
Unexpectedly for Ljugera the gaping failure in a wall of the tower turned to has opened 
To the north. Immediately the silence and rest of this place have been broken. 
     The violent roar of ocean and damp cold air have rushed into a premise, and 
The wind has at once put out candles. In the come darkness the Egyptian vulture dizzily looked 
On opened gate also has seen behind them fragmentary promptly rushing on the sky 
The clouds, which edges serebril the Eye of the Devil shining somewhere in the south. 
     Slot has entered into a tower in the morning and, appear, since then minulo not so much 
Time, but now outside there was a rough night. 
     Alfios has directed to a failure, having forgotten about the feebleness; the strongest wind 
Tore from his shoulders a cloak and whipped the old man ice lashes. Despite it, 
The madman has got on the very brink the stone eaves which have been found out after 
Mirror disappearances, and Ljuger its call has heard through storm noise. 
     It has gone on this call and has stopped near to Alfiosom in a step from edge 
Eaves. From here, having bent, it was possible to see a wall leaving downwards of a tower, 
Narrow rocky ledge under it and black-and-white chaos of torn foam over the storming 
Waves. 
     The horizon has been indiscernible in a gloom. Only clouds rushed from the northwest, 
As if the scared flight of shapeless demons. The cold wind scolded to 
Bones. Ljuger has looked at the naked feet Alfiosa which has turned blue from a cold, and 
Has understood, that the old man already feels nothing. 
     — Here nobody will hear us, — the general has told, but Slot has more likely guessed 
These words on movements of lips. It continually tore to support the old man, on 
Which the cloak was blown up, as a sail under blows of the enraged elements. Alfios 
Balanced on the brink of a dizzy precipice with indifference of the sleep-walker and 
With surprising dexterity avoided the hands of the Egyptian vulture sufficing air. Then 
It nevertheless has tended Ljugeru and has cried out to that directly in an ear: 
     — At Ralke I have recollected transformations... Actually it — 
Sorcery. Though also transformations too... It would not be desirable to die from the ruined 
Soul and to take away you with itself in the Hell... 
     Ljuger has for a moment thought that for the madman the old man expresses 
Surprisingly coherently. Then he has suddenly ceased to hear a storm roar, and a voice 
The general has distinctly begun to sound in the come silence. It was similar, that 
The Egyptian vulture became suddenly deaf, but is deaf only to certain sounds. Apparently, 
Alfios too did not linger since has left from Elizenvara. 
     — Magicians Zemmura all the same have overtaken me, — told 
That. — recently in the dreams I see myself laying among black and 
Lilac colours with an overpowering smell. Their petals kolyshet an imperceptible wind, and 
To me the causeless asthma creeps... 
     (Here shaken Ljuger has recollected portrait Alfiosa in a frame twined the live 
Black colours with really suffocating aroma, — magic attribute, 
Were in many days of a way from here, in disappeared crypt Gadamesa.) 
     —... The Glade on which I lay, has no borders, and flowers sink in 
Gloom. It is too much them, and the smell fills space. These flowers on drops 
Drink from me a life... And all time shouts any bird... 
     Not finding words, the Egyptian vulture silently looked on tormented with the long 
Flour of the old man. 
     — Listen attentively, Ljuger, — Alfios has suddenly sharply changed a theme. 
— Really you could think, what you — the first of coming behind the Hell Star? 
The whole millenium proceeds hunting zemmurskih werewolves behind this talisman, 
But now it comes to an end. One thousand years they waited for a birth of monsters like 
Me... And you... The Perverted brains and the corrupted souls... It is interesting, that they 
Have offered you? The power? Gold? The woman? Or simply life?. Once and I 
Chose... And your father too... 
     — What?! — Till this second Ljugeru it seemed, that it is already ready to all, 
But after a mention of the father has understood: soon it is necessary to touch secrets, about 
Which existence to it it would be better at all the nobility. 
     Looking at it with a cold ruthless smile, Alfios continued: 
     — You do not understand?. Your father was secret the servant of werewolves from Fruat-Gojma. 
I do not know, what choice to it have offered, but the fact of your birth and it 
Disappearances speaks about much... 
     Ljugeru suddenly intolerably it wanted to force to tell force the old man 
Everything, but one second later he has understood, that its attempts will be senseless — 
Alfios did not feel of a pain and any more was not afraid of  destruction. The general horrified 
Only one — the insuperable mystical influence which was starting with far 
Vaults of which the death did not relieve also. 
     — I was malodushnee, than you, Ljuger, — are unexpected pokajalsja Alfios. — I 
Has offered love and unquenchable thirst of the guilty soul. I did not become 
The destroyer. All these years I were a dog protecting the Star, because 
Has believed in sense of the victim. The poor idiot! Here full such fools. 
The pity choice, pity destinies... You Wish to see IT? You wish to see that 
Is capable to destroy this damned world?! — the general has cried suddenly and has seized 
Slota for clothes the senile hands in which it was found out 
In agony force. 
     For an instant Ljugeru it seemed, that Alfios wishes to carry away it with itself in 
Precipice. But that has opened a cloak, having opened a sight of the Egyptian vulture the withered 
Body. 
     The wind has rejected Alfiosa to a wall, and Ljuger has seen a source of the dim 
The red light, reviving in the centre of its bared breast, as if egg, 
Postponed in a nest from a human flesh. 
     But it was everything, only not egg. More likely the Hell Star was similar 
On the huge drop of fresh blood which were squeezed out from body Alfiosa and based 
In a frame from ferrous metal. The purple beams which were starting with this drop, 
Painted crimson touch a pale skin and silver-black fur of its cloak. 
In the polished metal of a frame any symbols located have been deepened 
On a circle with unequal intervals. 
     — You know, what is it? — has asked Alfios, spending a finger on the unknown 
To signs on a frame. Is an inscription in a classic language, made meaningless all, in 
That number your arrival, my choice and all mine nichtozhnejshuju a life. It that, 
That forever has amazed my soul and any more will not allow me to die in the world with 
Itself... Four thousand years as this language is forgotten; four thousand years has passed with 
That time as the key to this inscription has been lost, and the whole one thousand years madmen 
Like us with you went on talisman searches... The Pity deceived 
Creatures... 
     Ljuger did not believe the eyes: Alfios cried... The Wind almost at once 
The old man, undoubtedly drained its tears, but nevertheless, sobbed, standing on the narrow 
Eaves of an unapproachable tower in the heart of own possession. 
     The Egyptian vulture felt, that else will manage to hold on here — 
Hands and feet have grown dumb with a cold. However the general did not notice a chilling wind. 
In feverish excitation it continued: 
     — More recently I have found the ancient manuscript in abbey library, 
Sent to me precisely a Devil. Its cover has been made from 
Human skin, and every second page is written by blood... But you, 
Probably, it would be necessary to learn, what mean these symbols? — Finger Alfiosa 
Has again stroked a frame of an ominous talisman. 
     Ljuger understood, that the answer it is not required. The general has decided to go up to the end: 
     — All the matter is that the Hell Star — only half of eternal riddle. 
The inscription on it says: "When I will be swallowed by the Heavenly Dragon, the world will return 
To the beginning ". The world beginning is and its end, but that such Heavenly 
Dragon? It is not known by anybody from living, and without the Heavenly Dragon the Star 
Hell — only a beautiful toy... 

                        *    *    *

     ... As bewitched looked Ljuger at the bloody drop poured 
Ruby light. Suddenly in the sky has flashed and the brightest white beam has fallen to a tower, 
Which has snatched out from darkness the bloodless person Alfiosa, fallen asleep with deformed from 
Horror a mouth. For a second the beam has blinded also the Egyptian vulture; instinctively that 
It was removed in a shade, but has had time to notice, that the beam falls from above, from the middle 
The huge indiscernible shade which were groundless hardly below a fragmentary veil 
Clouds. 
     The further events have occupied all some instants, but Slot it is good 
Has remembered each detail of promptly played drama. 
     Any creature shouting in an animal way and similar to ugly 
The winged little man with the dog muzzle, it was threw whence from above and 
Has seized sharp-clawed paws cloak Alfiosa. Ljuger has not had time to make and 
Step before the creature has rushed from eaves, carrying away the old man behind itself. 
The chilling I smother shout has been immediately absorbed rushed into ears of the Egyptian vulture 
We howl a wind and a deafening roar of waves. 
     The beam has moved downwards, to a place of falling of two bodies, and Ljuger, having forgotten about 
Dangers, has knelt and it was inclined over eaves edge. In a circle of the white 
Light he has seen the body of the general spread on a narrow rocky ledge with 
Unnaturally turned out head. Stones round a body have been splashed by blood. 
The ugly creature sat on a stomach of the dead person with the combined wings and tormented 
The claws a human flesh. Then in it skrjuchennyh fingers has begun to sparkle 
Purple flame, and Ljuger has understood, that it has pulled out the Hell Star from breast Alfiosa. 
     With triumphing shout the winged murderer has jumped from a ledge and, hardly not 
Having concerned waves, began to gain height. Now the Egyptian vulture has seen the purpose, to 
Which that went. 
     Blinding this world in which the body laying in the bottom of the general seemed 
Wax figure, fell from the huge black ship which was groundless with 
The cleaned sails. On either side of high boards rose and fell, 
Making the measured waves, two wings similar to wings of a bat, but in 
Hundreds times the big. Any gleam of light it was not visible by this ship, 
Except the unique is deathly-white beam falling whence from a stern. 
     Shreds of the poisonous fog dozing in precipices round rocks, 
Were stretched to the creature who have stolen a talisman, but the winged murderer easily 
Turned aside from them as if the gale was not to it a hindrance. In addition 
The white beam from the ship slid on greedy languages of a fog and turned them into anything. 
And then the creature has already risen too highly to become vulnerable for magic, 
Still protecting a tower from the south, the West and the east. 
     The white beam has suddenly gone out, and Ljuger has clearly seen the inconceivable ship, 
Floating against the clouds silvered by a night star. Monstrous wings, 
As empty sleeves of a black devil raincoat, silently moved in darkness, and 
Tops of the tilted masts were lost in clouds... 
     The winged creature at last has reached the ship and has merged with its shade. On 
Masts dark bubbles of sails and, adjusted by a fair wind were blew up, 
The messenger of unknown forces has directed on the southwest. Soon the black ship has disappeared 
For a tower wall, and Ljuger remained alone with mutilated corpse Alfiosa. 
     Following quite certain and logical reasons, Slot has dumped from itself 
Clothes also began to say spell words. In any case in its monastery 
Did not wait for anything, except more or less painful death. Inevitably 
The revenge of an award should follow, but this danger seemed much 
More remote... 
     From a cloud of the fat smoke which has shrouded eaves, has fallen to foaming waves 
The huge white Egyptian vulture and, hardly not having broken about a tower wall, has straightened 
Wide wings. 
     Having used that northern gate was still open, it 
Soared up all above and above, escaping from languages of the poisonous trying to keep step with it 
Fog, also rose over sharp peaks of rocks. The severe wind played with it, 
As with the broken sheet, and still inevitably took down on the south, after 
The black ship dissolved in night. 
     Runaway Ljugera from a monastic tower has appeared successful, but he did not see 
Also could not see that from an open window of the house of the abbey behind it rather 
Interestedly the corpulent person in the cassock embroidered by gold observes. With 
Happy smile on white powdered person Kravius watched the flying 
The ship and the winged shade which is carried away by a wind... Then it has closed a window, 
Has fallen to a deep armchair and has plunged into a serene dream. 
     If not two dead pupils, blackening on its outer side 
The century, the prior of the Teginsky monastery would look quite pacified. 

                        *    *    *

     Unequal struggle against a wind selected all forces, and nevertheless the Egyptian vulture 
Time and again heard behind itself sharp hawk shouts. Two silvery 
ostrokrylye birds tried to pursue it over ocean, but a wind 
Inevitably took down their easier bodies to Exile Mountains, and soon they 
Have definitively lost each other in chaos of a night storm. 
     Ljugeru has carried more — after a while he has seen the huge 
Shade of the ship flying below clouds. But to the Egyptian vulture weeds already 
It was given with huge work — the wind unmercifully pulled out it and pushed in 
The continent party. Far below Ljuger hardly distinguished the black broken edge 
Land... 
     Soon its forces were on an outcome, and powerful wings of the ship still 
Dissected air with mechanical regularity and indefatigability... Slot 
Too has late understood, that the further prosecution is senseless, and, 
Having refused a self-destructive pursuit, began to decrease to the earth. 
     However struggle against elements has definitively exhausted they be putting 
Improbable efforts, it has reached coast and has almost fallen to stones in twenty 
Steps from a surf line. The self-preservation instinct has forced it to turn in 
The person. Then the naked freezing man has tried to crawl away far away 
From waves rolled on coast... 
     While Ljuger has realised, that it was rescued, it has accepted 
In the objatija inevitable and cosy blackness. 

     [................................................................] 

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