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Chapter 1

Gifts

"Nik, Nik, open up!"

Orel was shaking. He yanked the doorknob several more times, with no result. There was no sound coming from Nikto's room.

"Gods damn you," Orel hissed through the clenched teeth. He rummaged in the pockets of his jacket with his bloodied hands. At last he found what he was looking for: the door key. He pushed it into the keyhole abruptly.

"Shi-it," he whispered looking at the locked door, not daring to open it. Trying to suppress shivering, he leaned with his shoulder against the doorpost not letting the key go. "Never mind, never mind."

He turned the key. The door opened with a slight click. Orel grabbed his head, squeezed his temples as if expecting a blow but nothing happened. It was as quiet behind the door as before. Orel relaxed. He pulled out the key carefully and looked into the room opening the door slightly. His face lightened – he saw Nikto. Nikto slept in his bed as if nothing happened. His fair hair was very visible in the darkness. One of his braids hung down almost to the floor.

Orel came in shutting the door tightly.

"Nik," he called softly. "Nik?"

Nikto flinched.

"Arel, go… mm… that is, get out," he muttered hazily. "I want to sleep."

Orel came up to the unoccupied side of the bed. He took off his jacket and stayed naked down to his waist. He crawled up on the bed.

Nikto rose slightly, mumbled angrily:

"Fuck your mother! I'm tired of you!" He glanced at Orel and hissed. "Ooh, enjoyed my gift? You're covered in blood."

Orel understood just now that he'd smeared himself in blood all over when cutting the slave. He looked at his hands.

"Oh shit," he said in surprise and started unlacing his leather armbands soaked in blood.

"No need," Nikto slowly sat up in bed. He watched Orel with curiosity, then laughed softly. "So, you really like to fuck dead women, don't you?"

Orel froze, his armband half-unlaced.

"Don't," he said quietly without raising his head.

"Arel, I injected myself a crazy dose of various shit, I can't think straight, let's talk tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," Orel looked at him with insane eyes. "But I couldn't, I need to tell you now…"

"What else?"

"I, I…" Orel swallowed convulsively. "I can't any more! I… I…"

His face distorted, he screwed his eyes shut as if the words he said hurt him.

Nikto lay down on his back stretching.

"I got it," he said. "Don't torment yourself saying the rest. Go away."

He yawned and turned to his side, with his back to Orel.

"No," Orel whispered. "No!" he screamed angrily. "Why do you reject me? Why?!"

He was shaking again.

"I don't understand! Am I not handsome? Everyone says I'm handsome, I see that myself. Don't you like me at all? What is wrong with me? Explain me!"

"Arel, you're all right and you're handsome," Nikto drawled tiredly without turning towards him. "But I don't sleep with men."

"What?!" Orel gasped in exasperation. "You fuck anyone you can get! You fuck even that disgusting Unclean creature! That scaly bitch! You are ready to sleep with her but you don't want to be with me! You're humiliating me with it so much!" he added resentfully.

Nikto was silent. Orel nearly howled. His fists clenched, he was trembling.

"I can't stand it! I can't stand it. You're just trying to sell you for a higher price! But I'm ready to pay! I'm ready!" He yanked the 'royal' ring off his finger. "You always liked it, I don't care, I'm ready to pay! You'll be mine! I'll pay! I'll pay!"

Nikto was breathing deeply and evenly, he didn't react at Orel's words. Orel leaned over him, took his hand and put his ring onto Nikto's finger.

"Nik, my love, please be with me," he tried to hug Nikto, and Nikto woke up.

"Arel…"

"Don't, don't say anything," Orel covered Nikto's mouth with his palm, pressing onto him with all his weight. "I love you, don't resist. I love you! Be mine completely. You also want it, I know!" He grabbed Nikto between his legs with his free hand, squeezed his cock.

Nikto punched his face with his fist. Orel yelled, starting back.

"I told you! Go away!" Nikto hit him in his eye with such force that Orel lost his balance and fell flat. He curled in a ball covering his face. Nikto grabbed his head by his disheveled hair.

"That's all," he said, "that's all, don't be afraid, I won't hit you again."

Orel crawled down from the bed slowly.

"Shit, what is it?" Nikto shouted only now noticing the 'royal' ring on his finger.

"It is yours," Orel said holding his split lip. He picked up his jacket from the floor.

"Oh no! It is yours and only yours, you idiot, how could you give it away? Why? You wanted to buy me? Right? I hate you for that!" Nikto yanked the ring off his finger and threw it at Orel. "Take it! You cannot buy me, even with a 'royal' ring! Get it? Yes, it is written on my face that I'm corrupt! But you…"

Orel didn't answer. He knelt down on the floor slowly and started patting his hand over the furs trying to find the ring. He couldn't find it in the darkness. Nikto watched him silently. Orel raised his gaze uncertainty; his eyes were full of tears.

"I'll find it and leave," he said quietly and turned away.

Nikto got down from the bed and sat on the furs next to Orel. He reached his hand touching Orel's shoulder and turned him to himself.

"Arel, I didn't want to…"

Orel moved away from him.

"Nik, don't, I understand, you'll never forgive me. I deserved these blows."

His split lip was bleeding but he didn't seem to notice it.

"I cannot find the ring but let it be, I don't need it."

"Arel…"

"Don't, Nik," Orel shook his head, pushed a few bloodied strands away from his face and reached for his jacket.

Nikto abruptly covered Orel's hand with his, not letting him take the jacket.

"Arel," he squeezed his hand. "Orel, wait!"

"Forgive me if you can, please," Orel said.

"Enough. We are always begging each other for forgiveness, like two idiots. I'm tired of it!"

Nikto pulled Orel closer.

"I'm tired of it, do you hear?"

"Do you want to kill me?"

"Little fool," Nikto laughed softly and gently patted Orel's dirty hair, then hugged him pressing him to his chest like a child. "I can't hurt you, I can't."

Orel clung to him, hiding his face against Nikto's chest. Nikto stroked his head kissing his hair.

"You're very beautiful, prince, really. You're just splendid!" He paused. "But you stink like a butcher!"

Orel laughed and raised his head.

"I don't know how I managed to get dirty like this," he shook his head. "I spoiled your gift. I was drunk."

"Forget it," when Nikto was talking quietly and gently, his voice didn't sound dissonant at all.

"Why are you comforting me? Have you read my thoughts about killing myself? You shouldn't have done that."

"I don't read your thoughts. I was very rude to you. Drugs are finishing me off, they make me mad. You didn't do anything that deserved hitting you so badly. I seem to have hit you too hard, I don't understand how it happened." He pushed Orel away slightly, carefully passed his fingers over Orel's eye that started swelling shut, looked at the bruise closely. Leaning towards Orel, Nikto touched his lips, kissing them gently. He looked straight at Orel, his eyes glittered in the darkness.

"What are you doing?" Orel whispered. "Are you kissing me? Why?"

He reached to Nikto's face but froze halfway, hesitant, and let his hand fall without touching Nikto.

"I don't know," Nikto said barely audibly. He passed his fingers over Orel's hand, pulled it towards his face again, pressed his clean cheek to Orel's palm and closed his eyes.

"I don't know. I like you," he rubbed his cheek against Orel's hand, not letting it go, then kissed Orel's fingers and palm.

"Oh gods," Orel nearly moaned leaning with his whole body towards Nikto, wrapping his free arm around Nikto's neck and catching his mouth with his lips.

"I love you, I love you," Orel whispered from time to time, leaving Nikto's mouth just for a moment. He stroked Nikto's blonde hair, burying his fingers in it, squeezing Nikto's head. Nikto moved away from the bed and fell onto the furs, pulling Orel with himself, pushing down Orel's pants. They came off easily, Orel laced them just sloppily.

"No," Orel recoiled. "Gods! What are you doing? What are you thinking?"

"What am I thinking?" Nikto laughed softly.

"Fine, it was my wish but you said you don't do it with men, you made it perfectly clear!"

"Don't blame me," Nikto held Orel's head not letting him turn away. "I didn't lie to you. But it doesn't matter. I want to be yours, I can't be yours until you do to me everything you want. I want you to do it, want you to do what you always wanted…"

He put Orel's hand onto his stomach, just below the navel for Orel to feel the unevenness of the skin where the tattoo had been made just recently. Orel pressed his palm to his own sign. His eyes filled with tears again, he started crying.

"Oooh," Nikto drawled. "What's wrong now?"

Orel smiled through his tears.

"I don't know! It's silly, I never cry!"

"I've noticed."

They laughed softly.

Nikto turned over onto his stomach, spread his bent legs apart. He seemed dressed because of his many tattoos.

"No, lay back as before!"

Nikto turned onto his back obediently.

"Can you do it like that?"

"I can. I can do it in any way, it doesn't matter…"

"So?"

Orel started trembling.

"No, I can't," he said slowly. "I wanted it for so long and now I can't."

Nikto reached to his groin, snorted.

"I think you definitely can."

Orel shivered with his touch even more.

"No!" he screamed in fear. "Don't! Don't touch me!"

Nikto jerked his hand back.

"What is it? You don't want any more?"

"I do, I do! But I can't like this!" Orel clung to him, he was shaking. "I can't!"

"You can't?" Nikto pushed him way. "Yes, I got it, my consent breaks your mood. You wanted to force me. Make me, suppress me. Take me by force! You need violation, that's what you want!"

"No, no," Orel cried harder, trying to press to Nikto again.

But Nikto pushed him away roughly and sat up.

"Yes! You like to fight me, not to love me!" He smirked looking at Orel. "You want to show everyone how cool you are!"

Orel lay with his face buried in the furs and sniffed silently. Nikto turned him over and looked down at Orel, at his beautiful face smeared with blood and tears. Orel's eye was swollen shut, his lip puffy. Orel looked at Nikto pleadingly with his only good eye, his chest rose and fell jerkily. He was breathing through his mouth because his nose was stuffed with all that crying.

Nikto couldn't stand it and laughed.

"Arel, you're a wonder!" he passed his hand over Orel's eye. "Does it hurt?"

Orel shook his head.

"What shall I do with you?" Nikto smiled. "If you don't want to fuck me, I'll fuck you then."

"No, no!" Orel tried to get away but Nikto pressed him back to the furs, pulled down his pants and tossed them aside.

"Nik, don't! I'm afraid of you!" Orel screamed.

Nikto let him go.

"Fine, whatever! I don't need you, I don't have wish to break you. If you don't want to do it, let it be. But remember! It's useless to fight me, if I want, I'll always fuck you but you will never take me by force. Learn to live with it. I'm not joking. You really know little about me. I was always kind to you, I wanted to please you, I wanted you to fuck me, damn you! I wanted it in a good way. You don't have any chances to do it in a bad way – and I don't have a wish, clear?"

"Nik! Don't leave me!" Orel got up in despair, wrapping his arms around Nikto's neck. He held Nikto with both his hands, not letting him go.

Nikto hugged him.

"Fine, fine, calm down. Don't scream like this."

Orel froze holding onto him, holding Nikto's collar, sticking his fingers between Nikto's neck and the iron.

"Don't scream like that, don't," Nikto started stroking his face and head.

"I love you more than life itself and you don't believe me," Orel whispered.

"I believe you. That's why I'm here, with you. And I'm kissing you." Nikto carefully wiped tears away from Orel's face.

Orel overturned Nikto onto his back again, then pushed his cock between Nikto's legs and shoved forward sharply. He froze in horror, looked at Nikto under him and seemed to be incapable to believe his eyes. Unable to move, Orel was sitting like that, with his knees spread wide, holding Nikto's thighs.

Nikto hissed.

"Shi-it," he rose slightly, spat onto his fingers and rubbed his saliva over Orel's cock. Then he grabbed Orel with both of his hands and yanked him closer, pushing forward at the same time. Orel moaned. Nikto let him go. Orel leaned over him, supporting his weight on his hands, pulled out slowly and then pushed forward, very slowly too. It seemed he didn't understand what he was doing at all. His body jerked, he bit his lip continuing to move back and forth. It took only a minute for him to moan. He gripped Nikto's knees, spreading them wider, made a few strong pushes and panted pressing into Nikto as deep as possible. "Nik is mine! It's madness… Nik is mine!"

He pulled out his cock and fell next to Nikto. Nikto sat up leaning with his back against the bed. He was silent.

Orel raised his head.

"Nik, I'm a total shit. I couldn't bring you any pleasure at all. You didn't even feel anything."

"Well, I did feel something."

Orel laughed. "It's not what I meant."

"All right, I'm joking," Nikto said. "But you want too much from me, don't you think so?"

"I think I didn't fuck so horribly since I was a boy!" Orel said. "I disgraced myself before you. I was about to come when you just touched my cock to check if I had a hard-on."

"But you screamed really expressively: 'Don't touch me! Don't touch me!'"

"I'm a fool but I just don't know how to treat you, you're so different from anyone else."

"I'm different for others but not for you."

"You'll be surely laughing when recalling this night," Orel said in distress.

"No," Nikto shook his head. "I don't feel like laughing at all. Arel, I need to tell you something. It is very serious."

Orel looked at him in fear.

"What? What do you need to say? Are you leaving?"

"No, forget that!" Nikto paused, then looked at Orel. He seemed distressed. Orel paled.

"Oh gods! Tell me now, don't look so horribly!"

"I knocked out your eye," Nikto said.

"What?!"

"I knocked out your eye," Nikto repeated and looked at Orel again waiting for his reaction.

Orel started at him for a while, not understanding. Then he got it.

"No," he shook his head. "No!"

"I didn't want to. I hit you precisely to hurt you very much but it had to be safe. I don't know why… Oh shit! The ring! It was because of the ring! Your ring you put onto my finger! I wasn't used to it. I didn't even notice it then."

Orel grabbed his face.

"Nik, do you want to say that you knocked out my eye with the ring?"

"Yes. At first I thought I was mistaken, you'd be all right, but now I see you won't. Maybe you shouldn't have strained and come… It got worse."

Orel touched his swollen eye carefully.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Nikto just nodded.

"But I don't feel anything."

"Do you want to feel?"

"No-o, no! Anything but that!"

Nikto kept silent.

"He made a hole in my eye with the 'royal' ring, oh gods," Orel whispered sitting on the floor and rocking from side to side. "What shall I do now? My eye will leak out and even if it doesn't, it'll stop seeing. I don't want to be a cripple! I don't want to be single-eyed! Ooh…"

Suddenly he froze and looked at Nikto with hope.

"Help me! Heal me like you healed Asa! You can!"

"I'll try," Nikto raised his eyes. "But I have to go to the Unclean District for medicines."

"I believe you," Orel said. "I believe you and trust you and…" He moved towards Nikto and hugged him. "I don't blame you. It's my own fault."

"It'll be all right, I promise you," Nikto said.

Chapter 2

Friends

"He's here!" Lis shouted to his friends looking into Nikto's room. Orel sat up in bed forgetting about the bandage and at once understood what a stupid thing it was to do. He quickly buried his face into the pillows screaming: "Get out!"

But it was too late; Lis suspected something and rushed to him.

"Arel, what happened to your face? What happened?"

Orel sat up again slowly and looked at Lis angrily with his only eye.

"Nothing."

Tol, Squint-Eye and Enriki stood in the doorway and watched him in fear.

"Ooh shit." Orel turned away.

"Orel, what happened to your face and where is Nikto? How many times can I ask?" Lis asked again.

Orel shook his head trying to toss his hair away from his face and winced with pain.

"Shi-i-it!" He grabbed his bandaged eye. Then he looked at Lis. "I knocked myself down while drunk and Nik went to the Lower City to bring some medicines for me."

"How could you hit yourself like that?" Enriki asked Orel.

"I told you, I was dead drunk – like when I fell down from the stairs and broke all my ribs."

"Let me see," Lis said reaching for the bandage on Orel's damaged eye. Orel shrunk back.

"No, don't!" He hit his head against the back of the bed and howled in pain. A thick dark trickle of blood leaked from under the black cloth.

"Oh gods! Arel? What is it?" They rushed to him crowding around.

"We need to take him to the doctor right now!" Enriki said shakily.

"No, go to hell," Orel could barely speak, clenching his teeth in pain. His fingers gripped the cover. "Leave me alone!"

Lis turned to his friends; he was pale.

"Nikto mutilated Orel," he said to them, then turned to Orel. "Well, Arel, you did finish badly, didn't you?"

"Fuck you," Orel hissed holding his bad eye. He looked terribly: his glorious dark hair, half-heartedly washed of blood, hung in tousled icicles. His lip, despite the ointment, was still puffy. A thick black bandage covered his forehead, the bridle of his nose, his damaged eye and the upper part of his cheek. Nikto pulled it under Orel's hair and knotted tightly. He had based his actions exclusively on the practical use and hadn't cared about the appearance. The crude bandage looked horribly on Orel's chiseled, beautiful face, disfiguring him. The remaining brown eye looked at the friends in pain. Orel suffered but did his best not to show it. Yet they knew him, he couldn't deceive them. Enriki looked at Orel with unconcealed horror. Tol and Squint-Eye were distressed, not know what to say. Lis clenched his fists.

"I'll kill Nikto," he said. "I'll kill him!"

Orel moaned. "Nikto is not to blame!"

"Lis, perhaps it's true, Nikto is not to blame," Tol said gingerly. Lis didn't even look at him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't fish for trouble," Squint-Eye said to Lis. He sat down in the armchair at the bed and looked at the friends frowningly, cracking his knuckles.

"Stop cracking!" Lis yelled at him. "I'm sick of you!" He looked in disgust at Squint-Eye's arms covered in razor scars and terrible bruises left from injections.

"Do you think you can tell me what to do?" Squint-Eye's face distorted, he looked at Lis hatefully. "I see you think you're the boss here and I'm a loser!"

"Yes, exactly," Lis looked at him defiantly. "I respect myself unlike others who follow Nikto like a dog begging him for drugs!"

Squint-Eye started shaking. "Who are you talking about?"

Lis bared his teeth. "About you, you, don't worry, just sit and shut up."

"Lis, why are you treating me like that?" Squint-Eye was barely controlling himself.

"Ah, I've hurt your feelings! Go and cut your arms then, you like to do it! Go, go, you'll feel better!"

Squint-Eye practically went grey with rage.

"Lis, shut your mouth!" Orel yelled.

Enriki wrapped his arm around Squint-Eye's shoulders. "Bert, calm down, don't mind him. Lis is just upset. We all are," he said.

Squint-Eye lifted his hands and squeezed Enriki's fingers.

"It's all right, Rik, I'm in control."

"Where is your ring?" Lis said to Orel suddenly.

"Lis, leave me alone. Go away, all of you! Go!"

"Where is your ring?" Lis raised his voice. "If you don't tell me now, I'll punch your other eye, you know I have a heavy hand!"

"Just try," Tol interfered. "If you touch him, I'll knock out both of your eyes."

"What are you doing?" Enriki cried out in exasperation. "Let's keep at least some decency!"

"Nikto beat Orel up and took his 'royal' ring! And you talk about decency!" Lis was in rage.

"You also beat Orel up and more than once, I know!" Tol stood by Nikto.

"Only when he was begging for it!"

"Nikto didn't beat me up!" Orel yelled. "And I gave him my ring!"

Everyone stared at him.

"Are you complete mad?" Lis asked.

"I'm not going to explain anything! It's my ring, I can do whatever I want to it, got it?"

"I got it," Lis nodded. "You paid Nikto with your ring. You couldn't come up with anything better. I'm disappointed."

"Yes, I couldn't come up with anything better," Orel said quietly. "And I couldn't do anything else, I needed him, I was ready to pay any price, anything to be with him."

"So why isn't he with you now? Why did he take the ring and run?"

"He didn't run. He'll come and heal me! I believe him, do you hear?"

"Wait," Tol interfere. "Wait! I don't understand anything. What does it mean pay Nikto with the ring? Isn't he already with us?"

"He is with us but not with our lord Orel personally," Squint-Eye smirked. "So, you bought him like a whore, for a ring? Cool!"

"What?!" Tol got pale.

"No! No! Don't dare think that! I wanted to do it," Orel pressed his palm to the bandage soaked in blood. "But he hit me – that's why he hit me. It's my fault, I insulted him with my offer."

"So, you offered Nikto to sleep with you for the ring and he beat you up," Enriki said. "I was always afraid something like that would happen. I asked you not to harass him but it's useless to talk to you!"

"Oh my," Tol whistled. "That's something."

"He didn't beat me up, he just punched me slightly – and even that he did because he was full of drugs. He felt bad and I woke him up, nagged him…"

"It doesn't matter," Lis shook his head. "He didn't have the right to beat you, whatever happened. We talked about it, he promised me not to do you any harm and I believed him like a fool! Fine, I won't make this mistake again."

"I think he just couldn't control himself," To said. "I'm sure he didn't want to."

"Yes," Squint-Eye said. "Perhaps he believed it himself when he promised you but then he got angry and forgot about it for a moment. And when he came round, it was too late."

"He is not you," Lis muttered. "Nikto never forgets anything and he controls himself, you won't make me change my mind. I'm absolutely sure Nikto knew what he was doing when he hit Orel. And I'm sure he remembered his promise. But he did it nevertheless, he didn't care about me and our agreement. I will never forgive him that!" He stared at Orel. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Squint-Eye laughed suddenly, he was rolling in laughter like a madman. Everyone stared at him.

"Fuck! Bert, you said you're in control," Enriki said disapprovingly.

Squint-Eye covered his mouth with his palm, compressed his lips together with his fingers in expensive rings. Lis glanced at him quickly, then looked at Orel.

"Yes," he said. "I did a tremendously stupid thing believing Nikto. How could I even think one could negotiate with him about anything. I'm an idiot. It is written on his face that he is a traitor and can't be trusted."

"Stop it," Orel moaned. "You just wanted to protect me."

"Yes, yes, I did. But I didn't manage! And it is not for the first time, right, Arel? He hit you before, he hit you every time you harassed him, that's why you had that stupid idea to give him your ring. Oh gods! How could it even come to your mind? Where is your pride? Where is your pride, prince Arel Chig? Why did you harass him, followed him like a dog, debased yourself in front of this bastard who has shit instead of blood! He is a commoner, he isn't fit to hold a candle for you. Is it the way true princes treat slaves? You put yourself below him! You, you… you're really a fallen prince! Yes, you are!"

Orel got pale.

"Yes, Orel, that's how low you fell. Your friends say such things in your face, do you like it?"

"I don't say that," Tol said.

"Orel, you haven't been such a fool, what happened to you? Where is your brain, up your ass?" Lis was shaking.

"Get out," Orel whispered. "Get out, I don't need you."

"We are not leaving, we are not like someone else who ran away. We don't ditch our friends!"

"He didn't ditch me!" Orel shouted. "He'll come back!"

"If he comes, I'll sort him out," Lis didn't stop. "And I don't care about those scary tales of him!"

"Just try to say something to him! I'll kill you!" Orel growled.

"You're defending him," Lis smirked. "And he is an evil, lying bastard. And a thief!"

"I gave him the ring, I gave it to him!"

"Do you think he is not coming back?" Enriki asked Lis.

Lis shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on what he wants. If he wanted the ring, we won't see him again."

Squint-Eye got up and came up to the bar.

"Why would he need the ring? It's bullshit!" He poured a drink.

"Stop drinking in the morning," Enriki said.

"Enough of watching over me," Squint-Eye snapped. "Ooh, there is a lot of shit." He opened a casket on the table. "No, he'll definitely come. There is all his money, jewelry and drugs."

"Squint-Eye, stop rummaging through someone else's things!" Enriki gasped.

Squint-Eye took out a few capsules.

"I wonder what it is. A medicine or…"

Lis and Tol walked up to him. Lis took several capsules from the casket and put into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Orel asked darkly.

"I'll show them to knowledgeable people to check something. Soon I'll know everything about your beloved."

"You fool," Orel said. "Ask him, he'll simply tell you."

"No, I've had enough of his tales, now I know their worth."

"Don't play an insulted gentleman, he didn't deceive you. Nikto didn't touch me, not even once!"

"Yes. Calm down, I know."

"I think it was stupid to demand such promises from Nikto," Squint-Eye said. "No matter how much he'd try to control himself, his real essence would come out, sooner or later. He is not human, the whole city knows that. He is a dangerous predator, you have to be careful around him – since Orel decided to take him on our team. I don't mind Nikto but we have to take his nature into consideration and remember that he lives according to different concepts."

"He is human! You don't know him at all!"

"Well, now you know him," Squint-Eye smiled dreamily.

Tol took out Nikto's jewelry, the chain with nose and ear rings.

"Wow! It's heavy!" Tol admiringly weighed it in his palm.

"Put this disgusting thing back," Enriki winced.

Tol looked at Orel.

"Can I try it on? I wanted to see how it looks on me for a long time!"

"Why are you asking me, it's not mine," Orel turned away; he felt sick.

Tol came up to the mirror.

"Beautiful!" he whispered admiringly, pulling out the ring from his nose to put on Nikto's chain.

"We need to bring a doctor," Lis shut the casket. "We're wasting time."

"I won't let the doctor touch me," Orel shouted, "I'll kill him, I have enough strength for that, rest assured!"

"But why, for fuck's sake?"

"Because Nik will heal me, that's why! He wounded me and he'll heal me!"

"But it is stupid, Arel! Let me take a look, at least!"

"No! Get your hands off me! Get your hands off, Lis, or else!"

"You're burning! Oh gods! You have fever!" Lis grabbed Orel and yanked the bandage off. Orel screamed wildly. There was a crimson swelling in the place of his eye, seeping blood and white mucus.

Enriki covered his mouth. It seemed Squint-Eye's bad eye managed to look straight at the moment when he stared at Orel. Tol dropped the chain, forgetting to stick the ring into his ear, and the chain hung swaying onto his chest from his nostril.

"He knocked out your eye!" Lis screamed holding his head. "What shall we do? He mutilated you! Gods, what shall you do? You're a warrior! How will you fight without an eye? How?"

"Well, I do fight, after all," Squint-Eye said. "Orel will get used with time, I'll help him."

"What? What are you talking about?" Lis was ready to pull out his hair in anger.

"Nik will heal him," Tol said taking off the chain. "He did heal Asa."

"Orel, my poor Orel, forgive me! I'll bring the doctor!"

"No!" Orel tried to get up to stop Lis.

Lis ran to the door and at this moment it opened and Nikto entered the room. He and Lis nearly bumped into each other. Everyone froze.

"Curse you!" Lis shouted. "Curse you, you freak!"

He slapped Nikto's cheek, then the other, the first again, then once more, it happened very fast. Nikto pressed to the door, he was without his mask. Lis yanked off his glasses. Nikto screwed his eyes shut, tried to cover them, he didn't even try to counter Lis. Lis grabbed his hair, yanked it with all his force, pulled Nikto closer at first and then pushed slamming Nikto's head against the door.

Orel got up but grabbed his face moaning and fell back onto the bed.

"Pull Lis away!" he yelled with his last bit of strength.

Tol rushed to Lis, wrapped his arms around him from behind. Lis turned to him.

"Don't touch me, I'm all right. It's over."

He walked away from Nikto.

"If I'd wanted to kill or maim him, I'd have done that, you wouldn't have time to stop me. But I didn't harm this animal because I hope he might really help Orel."

Nikto slowly slipped down and sat on the floor; his cheeks were aflame, Lis's fingers left imprints on them. He pressed his head to the door and didn't open his eyes.

"I challenge you," Lis said.

"No," Nikto shook his head, "I don't accept your challenge."

"You cannot refuse to accept it, I insulted your dignity slapping you like a cheap whore."

"I don't care. You just love Orel, and so do I."

"Shit," Lis turned away and lit a cigarette standing at the window.

Orel clenched his teeth with pain and walked up to Nikto, sat down next to him. He picked up Nikto's glasses and put them into Nikto's hand.

"Nik, put on your glasses, it's too light for you," he said and his voice shook. Nikto turned to the sound of his voice.

"Arel, you shouldn't get up."

Orel hugged him.

"Nik, Nik, forgive Lis."

"I've already forgotten," Nikto smiled.

"Will you heal Orel?" Enriki asked.