Night Tale - Chapter 10
"You're lying," I didn’t feel confident in my words.
"Why do you think so?" White Vulnar shrugged his shoulders. "And even if I wanted to, I could not. On the night of the full moon, the one who possesses power is not capable of lying. Do you doubt? Look into my eyes."
He threw back his head, exposing his face to the reflections of the moonlight. I saw the yellow glitter of his iris, dissected by a vertical pupil. The shadow that followed him into the cave was the shadow of a huge wolf, stepping on its hind legs.
Vulnar sat down short in front of a heap of brushwood. He clenched his teeth metallicly.
His tail flickered hot, all at once. The fire rose to the ceiling of the cave, but immediately disappeared and resigned under the hands of the master.
Through the dance of the flames, I was glazed by the coldness of Vulnar's gaze.
"I don’t see your face behind this mask, hunter. But your eyes know death. Did you kill?"
"I fought."
"That's good," Vulnar the White said thoughtfully. "For you. Milk of the Valkyries won’t destroy you, but will make you stronger."
"Milk of the Valkyries?"
He nodded at my flask.
"Braga, which my brother cooks. Milk of the Valkyries. Bear's blood. And the water from the glacier in which the ancient witch sleeps, the prophetess of the Last Winter. Only thanks to this drug you are still alive. I enhanced this cave so that it kills everyone who comes here. If you went further, "he pointed deeper into the cave." You would meet people and animals that turned into the ice."
Vulnar grinned, and I saw a double row of sharp iron fangs.
"Some, however, I killed, earlier than the cold did. But the cold cannot cope with you. Same as I. For now."
"You cannot defeat me? Why?"
"Braga of Vulnar the Black. It gives you the power of twenty warriors. The fury of the three bears. And the ability to foresee everything the enemy will do. You are too dangerous opponent to fight with you in my human body."
His frankness was amazing. I thought about the full moon, which didn’t let Vulnar lie. And asked:
"Why does your brother want to kill you?"
The iron smile widened. Now it looked like a grin.
"Because my brother is just clay doll made of black clay of the zvers. And inside he has emptiness."
Palms of Vulnar outlined the shape of a pitcher in the air.
"This emptiness dreams to fill. My flesh, my blood. My soul. Everything that isn’t in it from the birth. Such is the evil essence of all clay twins."
"Substitute is like human in everything. Only two things he lacks to the complete similarity."
"You may not believe me, hunter. Then ask my brother yourself."
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9