Kitabı oku: «Between the lines is written in fire», sayfa 4
«How long will you stay?» She was more worried about whether Edwin would leave right away. Somehow she didn’t want to lose sight of him.
«We have been invited to participate in a tournament,» said one of the group of ambassadors.
«It is a tournament in honor of the solstice!» Rosamunda remembered. «It’s still a couple weeks away.»
«If we’re in the way, we can leave and be back by the day of the tournament,» Edwin said.
«You are joking! How can you get there and back so quickly? The borders of Dauran alone are over a week away.»
«Distance doesn’t matter to wizards,» Edwin replied cryptically. «You can fly around the world in one night.»
«Then teach me how to do it!»
«It is in any time, Your Majesty,» he stroked the signet ring on his little finger. «I can take you on a tour of the starry heavens, the clouds, the rainbow bridges.»
Now that was a bit like flirting! Rosamunda’s cheeks flushed. Curious, was it flirting a courtesy? Or did Edwin really like her?»
Edwin gave another shake of his unruly golden curls, which made Rosamunda faint. The ambassador was slender but strong, broad-shouldered, tall and handsome as a summer elf. Curious, who was he by title? Dressed sumptuously, like the son of a duke or marquis. His camisole glistens with precious stones, his sword has a gilded hilt, and the lace of his collar is like a frosty pattern.
«Put the ambassadors in the best quarters,» Rosamunda said.
If it were her will, she would have put Edwin in her bedroom. But stop! She’s not a libertine! Why were such perverse thoughts? Is he bewitching her? He’s a sorcerer! He can do anything. But Edwin did not impose his company on her, but hurried away. It was a pity he wasn’t as clingy as the dragon. You can’t get rid of a dragon that easily. Rosamunda looked warily up at the sky, where a magical rainbow was shining. She wondered if the dragon’s fire would shimmer across it again.
It was as if Dandy had been frightened by the ambassadors and now he wouldn’t come out from under his throne. Rosamunda tried to reach him, but he hid behind her skirts and clawed at them.
«What’s the matter with you?» She whispered.
«The ambassador’s name is Edwin.»
«What is of it?»
«I don’t like people with that name, especially wizards.»
«Is it because their emperor is also called Edwin?»
«It’s not a good name,» Dandy gritted his teeth in fear. «Bad people use it. They are dangerous people! They are treacherous…»
Dandy’s teeth chattered as if he were freezing to death, and all around him were fiery things.
«But Edwin is polite and very handsome.»
«The dragon is beautiful too, but when it dies by fire, you can’t escape it.»
That’s what he said. So the danger comes from beautifully dressed people and from dragons with beautiful golden scales. It is not without reason that they say beauty is dangerous.
Rosamunda sighed languidly after Edwin.
«It’s a pity he’s not a king and can’t ask me to marry him.»
But the dragon did. The dragon wasn’t a king either, but there was no escape from his matchmaking.
Fire-breathing suitor
Another letter was waiting in the king’s bedchamber. It wasn’t lying on the table or windowsill as usual, but hanging in the air. The scroll unfolded itself as Rosamunda approached it. The letter, of course, was from the same crazy suitor who signed himself «your dragon.» Except that his madness was now worth doubting. There was indeed a dragon over Dauran. And he was indeed a passionate admirer of the queen, dreaming of getting her either as a wife or as a dinner. She wondered what love means to a dragon? Suddenly to love in his mind is the same as to burn and eat. The dragon is probably a savage. But how can a savage write such abstruse letters? Did it have the help of wizards?
Rosamunda sighed:
«How tiresome is to have a dragon worshipper!»
The scroll flamed dangerously at the end. Sparks erupted, brightening the dark bedroom. There were several lines of fire in the letter this time. The letters were burning, but they didn’t lose their shape. How much magic do you have to have to make fiery letters on parchment? Or did it only require the breath of a dragon?
Rosamunda read:
«I await your decision! You are treacherous, but I can forgive you. Your appearance has changed, but I still see the same old you under your new face. You are still dear to me. Seeing you on the throne makes me feel as if a rare jewel has escaped from my treasury and I must bring it back to the dragon’s cave. You are like a valuable necklace or crown that I long to put back into my treasury. You are mine, but you are playing on your own. I give you a chance to continue the game. I wait. I have fiery breath and long claws. I am a predator. I’m used to stalking prey and attacking, but I wait you out like a cat waiting for a mouse. I like to play with you, but if I get angry, your perfect new body will be nothing but bloody scraps. Don’t make me angry! I’m out of control when I’m angry. I didn’t torch your entire kingdom, and I really wanted to. I could have taken you out of that blazing castle alone. And I need you alone. All your retinue and dowry can be sacrificed. Rose! Fleur! Bianca! Patricia! Giselle! Portia! Flora! Violet! Rosalinda and Rosabella! You have so many names! It’s hard not to get confused. You yourself remember all those whose faces you wore like masks. I recognize you by your eyes. Do you recognize yourself when you look in the mirror? What if one day you want to look like a handsome young man instead of a girl?
I often tear with my claws young men whom I suspect to be my rivals and drink their blood. One day for infidelity I will grab you too, carry you in my claws to the top of the highest mountain and maybe kill you. Orit is maybe not. It’s up to you. You have the advantage of beauty. Beauty makes women so forgiving. I’m a dragon, but I’m not blind. If you beg my forgiveness, I can spare you. Be my wife and no one else’s but mine. Is that so much to ask of you? All I need is your devotion.
A dragon is in love with you and is loyal to you.»
Rosamunda almost burned herself when she finished reading the letter, because the parchment began to burn right under her fingers. A few fiery lines instantly consumed the entire text.
How quickly dragon letters burned! If she’d had a chance to reread the letter a few times, she probably would have understood a little more. Everything in the letter was too convoluted and mysterious. It’s as if the dragon admirer is not addressing her, but some multifaceted sorceress. His revelations are too complicated. If only the wizards of the Magic Empire could look at the letter! Would Edwin be able to recover the letter from the ashes deposited on the carpet?
It’s worth asking him. It would be another chance to see it.
«I’ve given in to the dragon!» Rosamunda complained, tugging at a tourniquet of blue-black hair twisted with pearl threads. Maybe if she took off her jewelry, she wouldn’t attract the dragon so much. She’s wearing tons of gems! No wonder why the dragon would be attracted to her. The hem of her dress is embroidered with tiny rubies and emeralds, there’s a heavy crown on her head, and there are more bracelets, necklaces, and rings than one can count. We should take it all off and put it in a chest. But then she wouldn’t be considered an elegant queen. Only an old royal widow can dress modestly. One gold hoop in her hair is enough for her. A young queen without jewelry would be considered naked. That’s court etiquette. The more expensive your clothes are, the more powerful are you..
Rosamunda sighed again. She was a slave to convention. If the dragon hadn’t turned his watchful eye on her, she would never have thought about how hard it was to be queen.
«Hi! Dandy!» Rosamunda called out, hoping her supernatural advisor was hiding under the bed, but Dandy was nowhere to be found. Had he gotten so cold feet in front of a delegation of wizards from the Magic Empire that he had decided to sneak back to the Underworld? Though Dandy had a bad temper and a sharp tongue, Rosamunda had grown accustomed to him and was even beginning to long for him.
The colorful tapestry on the wall suddenly twitched. The figures of the fairies on it changed their poses and leaned toward each other. A whisper sounded from the threads of the tapestry:
«She is a poor thing! She doesn’t know what she’s in danger of!»
«And what threatens her?»
«He will punish her for her infidelity, and choose one of us for her throne.»
«Is it one of the fairies?»
«It is either a fairy or a peri or a nymph or a naiad. He has so many choices! And he has no use for a mortal girl!»
As Rosamunda moved closer to the tapestry, the voices fell silent. The figures of the fairies froze again. They were depicting the scene of a unicorn hunt. Rosamunda felt uneasy. After all, the unicorn is the symbol of Dauran. It is part of the coat of arms. To harm a unicorn is to defy the queen. The fairies not only hunted unicorns, but also tamed them by tying their horns with ribbons. Where could such a tapestry have come from in the castle? It was as if it hinted that Dauran was finished. The dragon would burn the place down and fairies would frolic in the ashes.
Dandy appeared suddenly, as if from under the floor. Rosamunda almost fell over in surprise. He suddenly jumped out from under her feet like a devil out of a snuffbox.
«Send the ambassadors away!» He demanded. «They’re no good here!»
«Are you crazy? If we send them away, who can protect us from the dragon?»
«They’re on his side.»
«I don’t believe it. You just didn’t like Edwin because I liked him.»
«I wouldn’t recommend falling for the first person you meet. You never know what’s behind their pretty face.»
Rosamunda let Dandy’s sneer pass over her ears. He would probably like to court her, but he’s not tall enough, so he’s angry with normal men.
«Say, could the dragon be attracted to my jewelry? Maybe if I took them off or replaced them with fake stones, the dragon would leave me alone. I’ve heard that dragons are attracted to gold and stones.»
«Try putting your jewelry on a lady who looks like you. Maybe the dragon will mistake her for you and drag her away,» Dandy smirked. «It’s mean, but there’s no choice. The country can’t exist without a queen, and it can do without one or two ladies. Besides, the dragon himself is already kidnapping and killing girls from the outskirts of Dauran. They’re all brunettes with curly hair, just like you. He’s got this obsession with girls who look like you.»
«Maybe he’s crazy.»
«It is a mad dragon!» Dandy whistled. «Well, then you’ll have to get smart and put him on a chain. That’s what you do with crazy people.»
«And how do I do that?»
«Lure him in and seduce him. He seems to respond to your singing. Sing him something beautiful and put a chain on him.»
«That’s a great idea! All I have to do is get a skilled blacksmith to forge a chain that the dragon won’t break, and then I can start seducing him with song,» Rosamunda fell asleep hopeful. She dreamed that she had put the dragon on the chain, and when she returned to it, she found a young man with the appearance of a golden-haired elf asleep on the chain. And where had the dragon gone? Why was the elf on the chain instead? The elf was asleep. Rosamunda laid his head in her lap and burned herself. His breath was fire.
Flames at the tournament
The tournament is to bring out the most skillful knights. It would be nice if Edwin turned out to be the kind of strong knight who could defeat a dragon. Why should he become a dragon slayer for Rosamunda? He doesn’t seem to like her.
As luck would have it, all the once rejected suitors for her hand or their valiant vassals showed up to try their luck in the competition. The kings of neighboring countries, and princes, and even an overseas sultan sent their representatives to the tournament. His knight came with rich gifts and sharp sabers. The only thing missing was the lord of the Magic Empire, but instead of him, his representative Edwin was here. He was the one who was supposed to participate in the tournament.
Rosamunda was nervous. For some reason, she really wanted Edwin to win. That was not patriotic. After all, Edwin is not her vassal. He is a foreigner. Any foreign subject could be an enemy, but Rosamunda somehow didn’t feel like a traitor to her homeland. When a dragon strikes, everyone is a victim, foreign and domestic. If there is a single knight who can defeat the dragon, he will be unanimously declared a hero.
Rosamunda’s maids of honor tried to keep their distance from her. No wonder! The rumor of Winona’s sad fate has already reached everyone’s ears. No maid of honor wants to be the next victim.
Only Dandy is her faithful companion. Even though he’s the size of a lynx, it’s still nice that his fear of the dragon keeps him a step away from the queen.
Rosamunda rejoiced early. Some rude man in a luxurious robe shouted at Dandy, and Dandy was as frightened as if he’d seen a whole pack of dragons.
«Get away from the queen, you little scoundrel!»
Frant hastily hid under the throne, and the boorish fellow spread his sable trim over his shoulders and settled down beside the throne. No one dared to send him away or at least reprimand him. The rude man was probably from a very noble family. But powerful parents didn’t educate their young son. Probably they spent all their time and energy on court intrigue. There’s no energy left for the children.
«Who are you?» Rosamunda did not like the fact that the strange young man attached himself to her like a shadow. His face was as pale as a dead man, but his eyes burned brighter than the ruby hoop on his forehead. It seemed to be the emblem of the Dukes of Dauran.
«I’m Vincent, your new counselor.»
«I don’t recall a council seat being vacant.»
«I’ve come to take my father’s place on the council.»
«And who is your father?»
«He is Duke Alonso of the northern provinces.»
«Can he himself confirm what you say?»
The handsome, pale as death young man did not inspire Rosamunda with confidence.
«He himself had recently been clawed by a dragon.»
At the mention of the dragon, Rosamunda felt confused. She thought she saw a dragon among the knights at the tournament. Or was it someone wearing a dragon helmet? There are not many daredevils who challenge mythical creatures by making shields, armor, and helmets that mimic the body of a dragon.
«You were in such a hurry to take your father’s place that you rushed here immediately?» Rosamunda snickered. «Yesterday Duke Alonso was still alive and arguing with me fiercely about taxes.»
«News of the dragon’s mischief travels the country at the speed of the wind,» Vincent said tactfully.
«Have you received fire letters, too?» Rosamunda was wary.
Vincent is so pale that it is impossible to suppose otherwise. Someone has frightened him to death! Only a dragon could have done that. A dragon’s letters have a magnetic effect on the will.
«So you’re in correspondence with the dragon, too?» She whispered to Vincent.
He was clearly embarrassed. Did he think she was crazy?
«Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I don’t correspond with anyone. It’s out of caution. Messengers are too often intercepted.»
Rosamunda was disappointed. She’d thought she’d found a companion with whom she could discuss her problems and devise some means of self-defense against the dragon tyrant.
«Even if you were able to instantly know the news of your father’s death, say you had a telepathic link with your father, how did you manage to travel to the capital in just a day? Do you have speeding boots or a flying horse?»
There was a moment’s hesitation.
«I didn’t live there.»
«Where did you live?»
«It is someplace else.»
«Where is it?»
«You don’t want to know. It was a bad place. Like I said, my father had me under his thumb.»
Vincent was twisting and turning. What exactly was he so afraid to confess?
«I hadn’t heard that Duke Alonso had a son.»
«I’m kind of a stepson.»
«And can you produce any evidence that you are his legitimate son and official heir to claim his position as counselor?»
«I’m wearing his coat of arms jewelry.»
«And what is beyond that?»
«You think I killed him and took his regalia?»
«I’m merely honoring tradition.»
«Oh, it is the red tape!»
«So how can you prove you’re not a foreign spy sent to the King’s Council?»
«Is there any suspicion of that?»
«You have a strange accent.»
«I’m a bit of a stutterer. My father frightened me as a child.»
«How can I make a stutterer my counselor?»
«You can’t go against tradition. The duke’s loyalists will tell you I’m the son he kept locked up for a long time.»
The Duke’s vassals and kin have indeed arrived at court. Very quickly! It was as if they had been flown here on wings. They all looked pale as if they were ghosts, their eyes were burning feverishly, and their hands were covered with a strange rash like scales. All of them came to Rosamunda’s throne and confirmed that they knew Vincent personally.
«Did you cast a spell on them?» She asked the young man as they stepped back. «They look like zombies.»
«A dragon raided the Duke’s castle in the night. Everyone was frightened,» Vincent explained.
«He can get to both you and me in one night,» Rosamunda said warily. «Do you have a beautiful girl living with you, too, whom he harasses and floods with flaming notes? Is it your sister, for instance?»
«I have no sister. I had a younger brother, but he died.»
«Probably it was during childbirth as a baby?»
«It was later.»
«Why didn’t the Duke say anything about his sons?»
«He was too busy with his career. We children became a burden to him.»
«And you’re about to become a burden to me! Can you imagine how angry all older, more powerful colleagues will be at a young counselor?»
«Then make me chief counselor, and I’ll control them all.»
«Why should I make you the one in charge?»
«I’m the only one who can help you deal with the dragon!»
Vincent said it in such a serious tone that the dazed Rosamunda almost fell off the throne.
«Are you joking?»
«The dragon has long since put me out of the mood for jokes,» Vincent said grimly. «But I’ve also found the dragon’s weakness.»
«What is it?»
Rosamunda suddenly believed Vincent. Only fear of the dragon could have made him look so dead. Apparently, the dragon had attacked Vincent personally. It wasn’t hard to imagine the heart-wrenching scene of Vincent hiding in the tower while the dragon’s claw shattered the windows and scrambled to get him like a mouse out of a mousetrap.
«So what is the dragon’s vulnerable place: tail, mouth, spine or belly?»
«It is metaphorically, not physically.»
«So you can’t defeat it directly?»
«But we can take a valuable hostage who will make the dragon cede everything to us.»
«I don’t believe you,» Rosamunda mumbled aloud, but she decided to keep Vincent close to the throne. He might be useful in the fight against the dragon. He knows something valuable, but his fear of the dragon has damaged his judgment, and he is behaving strangely. Now he stares at the fighting spearmen as if he saw a dragon among them. Someone in a horned helmet was indeed present in the ring and fighting quite successfully.
«King Alaric of Sultanit is said to be the most handsome and successful guy in the universe,» Vincent said thoughtfully, as if assessing a rival who could not possibly be there. The king of Sultanit didn’t come to the tournament.
«I don’t know. He’s never asked me to marry him,» Rosamunda said.
«It is no wonder. He’s a prisoner of the dragon.»
«Is he so weak that he’s surrendered? His armies seem to be the most numerous.»
«We’re talking about voluntary captivity.»
«So is he a dragon captive or a dragoness captive?»
He coughed meaningfully.
«It can happen. Sultanit is a powerful country, but ever since the handsome king befriended the dragon, it’s been a mess. The population has been slaughtered by griffins, the army has turned into zombies, and ghosts feast in the king’s castle at night.»
«It is more like fairy tales.»
«But these tales are retold by travelers who have seen everything with their own eyes. They also assure that the young king, since his friendship with the dragon, has become completely indifferent to earthly beauty.»
«The dragon probably bewitched him.»
«Sincere sympathy is not called witchcraft.»
«There are charms and magical attachments.»
«How do you know about that?»
Rosamunda didn’t remember how she knew about it.
«Probably I heard it from fortune-tellers.
She had just noticed the girls in the crowd wearing wreaths of wormwood and burdock. What’s a fortune-teller? Why else would they make such fancy wreaths? Even more unusual girls came wearing wreaths of sorrel, parsley, dill and basil. The green capes behind their backs looked like wings. Were they fairies?
«They are garden fairies!» Vincent spotted them too. «They are very useful creatures! If you’re hungry, they’ll give you free pumpkins or vegetable salad. I love their tomatoes and cucumbers. By the way, you can tell a vegetable garden fairy by the fancy decorations made of radishes, carrots or potato flowers. They are sure to pin something like that to their corsage, and dill and parsley grow right out of their skin.»
«Are you kidding me?»
«It is absolutely not. I borrowed food from them myself when I was starving.»
«You’re the son of a duke, and you starved!»
«My father kept me in a black body! He said I’d never grow up to be a real man.»
«How cruel is it!»
«But now I’m fully fit to serve you, and I have experience. For example, if the whole country goes hungry, I’ll get you food from the garden fairies.»
«Won’t they glamorize us with their vegetables?»
«It can happen. But that’s only if you forget to be friends with them. I once insulted them and got colic from their beets for a week. Since then, I’ve always been nice to the garden fairies.»
«Do you know any garden fairies? What if they live in my garden?»
«You don’t want to talk to garden fairies. They’re all arrogant upstarts, prickly as roses. Every one of them thinks she’s above the queen.»
«How am I supposed to tame them? Burn down all the gardens?»
«The dragon will do that for you.»
«Alas, the dragon does not serve me. He’s at odds with me.»
«Then bring him to your side.»
«It is easier said than done.»
«I’m a counselor. My weapon of choice is words. And you, by the way, have a woman’s charm. It can be a weapon, too.»
«You think it’ll work on a dragon?»
«Even King Alaric’s friendly charm worked like a lethal weapon on a dragon. And the result is the Sultanit is now the most powerful nation in the universe.»
What’s true is true! Rosamunda bit her lip until it bled. Everyone knows that to be in conflict with Sultanit is to sign one’s own death warrant. Is it really about the dragon?
«Do you know why they don’t allow visitors to Sultanit; no merchants, no ambassadors?»
«There’s a hell of a thing going on there! The dragon has filled the country with magical gifts. Witchcraft rituals are performed there day and night. We can’t let word of this get out beyond the borders of the state, so it’s off-limits.»
«Then how did you find out about the inner workings of this place?»
«I have a way of peeking through space.»
«I’m curious, what is it?»
«If I were to hint to you that it’s magical? Can practicing magic in Dauran be punishable by torture and execution?
Rosamunda clenched her knuckles painfully. If magic is blamed on others, then the queen who corresponded with the dragon is also guilty.
«If magic is used for the good of the country, then torture and execution are out of the question,» Rosamunda replied diplomatically.
«Then I’ll show you my method of observing through distance at my leisure. There is a way to find what you want by seeing through walls and cities. You don’t need to soar through the sky in the form of a dragon to see the whole world as if in the palm of your hand.»
Rosamunda listened to the counselor half-heartedly. The tournament was becoming more and more exciting. But suddenly there was a sensation of heat, as if from the mouth of a dragon.
The queen shuddered. The heat of the fire had recently begun to frighten her.
Vincent continued to babble on and on, praising himself to the hilt. Rosamunda was no longer listening. She was staring at the golden dragon scale armor. Who had thought to play a joke on her like that? Or was the joke unintentional? The armor grew, increasing in size. Was this a reality or a nightmare?
Where did the dragon come from in the ring? It opened its mouth like a huge furnace. Flames were shooting out of it. Some knight fell from his horse, his armor burned, but he was not burned. Rosamunda squeezed her eyes shut at first, then cautiously opened one eye. The dragon was gone. But Edwin had used some kind of fire magic to set his opponent on fire. Sparks flew from his spear. So he conjured an illusion in the form of a dragon? The monster was a vision! Who would understand these elves!
Rosamunda applauded Edwin’s victory, expecting him to offer her a wreath and a bunch of violets, but suddenly she was holding flowers of fire. Is the dragon here? Rosamunda looked around warily, feeling the dragon’s claws on her shoulder. There was no dragon behind her, of course, but the dress on her shoulder was torn. Maybe Dandy had clawed her?
The orange bouquet burned in her hands for a minute. Then it crumbled to ash. There were burns on her palms, black ash stains on the hem of her dress.
Edwin had defeated all the suitors for her hand. He’d literally bailed her out. And did he have to? Was he not so loyal to his emperor that he would die for him? Or are all the servants of the magic emperor so immortal and self-confident that they would go to the trouble? After all, they have a lot of magic powers too. Or was it a matter of liking her? Did Edwin like her? Rosamunda blushed at the thought. She wished he liked her! But Edwin was very reserved, even cold. The wreath of roses won in the tournament, he did not give the queen himself, but entrusted the task to the obliging maid of honor.
Nothing, Rosamunda consoled herself, if his lord is even more beautiful than Edwin himself. Nevertheless, she couldn’t take her eyes off Edwin, which was the only reason she noticed that he was talking to a bizarre dwarf creature that reeked of magic. It must have come from a strange magic empire as well.
The emperor of this empire must be a unique person. How devotedly Edwin defended his lord’s interests! No wonder, considering that his lord is magical!
«What do you know about the lord of the Magic Empire?» Rosamunda whispered to Dandy, who reluctantly crawled out from under the throne.
«It’s so hot in here! It’s like being in an oven instead of a tournament!» He whimpered. «My fur is all sweaty and my tail is burned. I’d better go and sit in your bedroom, my lady. Don’t make me suffer in this heat.»
Anything goes in the bush! There was nothing to be gained from Dandy. She shouldn’t have trusted him.
You can’t trust anyone. It is especially a fairy-tale animal pretending to be a wise man.
«All right, go!»
Dandy hurriedly snuck away. Why did he feel so hot right after the dragon was gone? Was there a dragon at the tournament? Or was she just imagining it? Vincent had disappeared, too, as if he’d never been there. What to expect from these magicians! Rosamunda made the logical conclusion that if Duke Alonso was ashamed of his son and even hid him, then his son must have been practicing black magic. And here was a black magician who was her counselor!
What has she come to! The Queen of Dauran is surrounded by wizards and dragons. Edwin was the only one to stop looking at, but Edwin was already gone too. That strange creature must have taken him with it.
If only Edwin would stay at court! She wouldn’t survive if the magical emperor sent another ambassador in his place. Somehow, separation from Edwin was like an eclipse of the sun.
As Rosamunda left the tournament, sad news was brought to her. There are fires in Dauran again. Fields, mills, farms were burning, even the rivers and lakes are ash pits full of poisonous fumes. Dragon fire turns the soil into poison. Where it has burned something, you can neither walk nor drive, or you will die of poisoning on the spot. If you breathe the air soaked with the dragon’s poison, you will be covered with a black rash or suffocate. With the dragon came the age of terror!
Something in the reports, letters, and events didn’t add up. Rosamund tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
She had seen the fire at the tournament. And then an entire province burned. By dragon fire! Rosamunda threw herself on the pillows and cried. Why should she do this? Why does he haunt her? It was some kind of doom. Even Dandy had lurked somewhere because he had chickened out.
And suddenly there’s the letter again, as if delivered through the castle window by a dragon’s paw. And claw prints on the carpet! Huge claws, each one bigger than her. Like furrows in an arable field! What a dragon’s claws! Or is she just dreaming?
Another letter said:
«You didn’t recognize me, but I’m here. I’m breathing fire into your back, putting my claws on your shoulder, burning your knights with fire, and you don’t recognize me! You’ve lost all your skill. You used to be able to trap me easily, but now you are so easily captured yourself. Would you prefer the captivity of love or the captivity of fire? In the old days, you seduced me. Now I feel like I’m the one harassing you. But it was you who awakened my fiery passions. Don’t recognize me again if you don’t want to. It’ll make it easier for me to kill all your admirers one by one.
A dragon is driven mad by your beauty.»
The caption, as usual, was shocking. The lines blazed before her eyes. The entire letter burned as usual, burning her hands. There was nothing surprising about it anymore. It happens every time. The passionate letter is full of direct threats.
Rosamunda was afraid for Edwin. The dragon is going to slaughter all his rivals. But Edwin doesn’t seem to have any claim to her hand. Perhaps the dragon won’t touch him. He only burns his rivals in the castle.
