Chapter 9

The room abandoned by the murderer was guarded by a lone soldier of the palace guards. The others took off in pursuit with Lady Yana. The guard let the magician and the elf inside without question, but left the door open, watching the search from the corner of his eye. Carlon was still unable to properly bend over because of the pain in his stomach, so he limited himself to a professional conclusion - the room did not even smell of magic. Valria did the main work. She also got in a fight, but the girl came to her senses faster than the master. A cursory inspection at first did not bring any valuable results. The belongings abandoned by the fair-haired stranger during his flight turned out to be unremarkable. Except that two smoking paper pipes and several evenly cut strips of paper were found on the table - apparently blanks. The elf took the finished pipe with two fingers, sniffed it, sneezed. Noticing something under the table, she squatted down. She picked up a crumpled yellowish sheet, laid it on the table, smoothed it out. She chuckled without taking her eyes off the paper.

- Interesting.

Carlon looked over her shoulder. The sheet was drawn by hand with geometric shapes - squares, rectangles, circles. Two or three dotted lines stretched from each figure. Columns of numbers, signs, incomprehensible squiggles lined up near the figures and lines - either conventional symbols, or letters of a foreign alphabet.

- So what's this? the master asked.

- I thought you'd tell me.

- Well… it’s definitely not magic formulas. And not alchemical calculations.

- And then I did not guess. - Valria snorted, brushing a strand out of her forehead from her bangs.

Boots rumbled in the hallway. The elf hurriedly hid the paper in her pants pocket. Lady Yana entered, sweaty and disheveled, and said hoarsely:

- Gone. I sent people to guard posts to seal off the area.

- I don't think it'll help, - Valria sighed with rather feigned chagrin.

- Me too. - The guardsman awarded the elf with her signature look, capable of freezing water in a jug. - You should have warned me of all the details of your plan.

- I'm afraid so, - Carlon hastily answered, ahead of the elf. - We'll be more careful next time.

- How did you know the killer was here?

- I will give a written report by this evening, - Valria said unexpectedly seriously, holding the gaze of Yana’s cold lynx eyes without the slightest embarrassment. - Carlon will add a description of the killer's appearance to it.

- Thank you. – Despite the frankly defiant behavior of the elf, the black-haired girl bowed her head. - This will help us to search.

- In that case, the master and I will leave for now. We need to make sense of today's results and count the bruises. - Valria folded her hands behind her back and smiled. - Lady, can I borrow a couple of silver coins from you? I will personally return it to you as soon as I get the chance.

Lady Yana was silent for a long moment, then pulled the money out from under her belt and handed it to Valria.

Already in the street Carlon shook his head:

- She doesn't seem to trust us...

- The guardsmen usually do not trust anyone except their overlord and each other, - the elf shrugged. - However, if the princess ordered her to believe in us, then she will believe as in herself. Don `t doubt.

- Why do you need money?

- Then we go to the baths.

- We've just been there. - The magician raised his eyebrows in confusion.

- Firstly, civilized beings generally wash themselves every day. Secondly, we need to steam off the bruises. Thirdly... I need to wash my whole body with soap. Urgently. - The girl suddenly shuddered, as if she had taken a sip of undiluted lemon juice. - He touched my ear! Touched my ear!

- Well… uh… When we first met, I also touched your ear, actually, - reminded Carlon. - Before that, I had only seen elves from a distance.

- But you asked me for permission! There is a huge difference...

The captain turned out to be right about one thing - hot water and steam quickly put the master on his feet. He reached the house with the garden, no longer holding on to his back, and no longer groaning at every step. Helping the girl to prepare a quick dinner, the magician asked:

- Aren't you going to use your spy network again? It is unlikely that our friend Peter guessed that the children figured him out.

- Alas, my young watchmen sleep at night. - Valria shook her chin. - And until the morning the bastard will hide in some hole and will not show his nose from there until his time comes. He's not stupid either.

- Then what are your plans next?

- A new day brings new answers. - The elf scratched the ear that the killer had touched. She did this not for the first time in recent hours, as if her ear was itching. - You go to bed, and I will make a report to the employer. And think about this piece of paper.

- Are you sure you don't need my help?

- Of course I need it. But tomorrow at least one of us should be well-rested. - The girl pushed him on the shoulder. - Lie down, come on.

The last sleepless night and daytime adventures exhausted the master to the point of impossibility, so he did not argue. In addition, it was affected by the fact that Carlon resorted to the help of blood magic. Acting in this way, the magician gives energy irrevocably - this part of the power will never return to him, just as spilled blood does not return to the body. Carlon spent only a couple of drops today, and it was enough for him to pass out, barely resting his head on the pillow. The last thing he saw as he fell asleep was Valria leaning over the papers on the table by the light of the oil lamp. The girl's face looked unusually serious.

The master woke up early, from a strong smell. Opening his eyes, he found the elf in the same place, with a steaming mug in her hand. Only then did the magician recognize the smell - it was coffee, a vile taste, but an invigorating drink, popular in lands even south of his homeland. Valria always kept a handful of coffee beans in some kind of hiding place, spending very sparingly.

- I think I have an idea, - she said, noticing that Carlon was awake.

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- Good morning to you too, – grumbled the magician, leaning over his pants. The elf seemed fresh and energetic, causing black envy in Carlon. If only he could endure sleepless nights at the age of one hundred and four!

- Do you have a city map with you? - the girl asked, putting the mug on the table.

- Of course not.

- Neither do I. So get ready. Let's go to the palace.

- Why?

- I'll explain on the spot.

Carlon flatly refused to drink the coffee offered by the captain. On the way, passing through the market square, he had to buy a piece of cake from the stall and drink a glass of strong brewed tea there. Having reached the palace, the master and the elf circled it three times, which was not an easy task, given the size of the complex. Finally, they stopped in front of the main gate, from where they began their first round. Under the stern gaze of the wary sentries, the girl struck her palm with her fist and declared:

- Now everything is clear.

- It's not clear to me, - the panting magician croaked, catching his breath. Valria paused, as usual, savoring the moment. She waited for exactly the moment when the master was ready to grab her by the collar in order to shake her properly, and only then she took out a piece of paper found in the tavern from her pocket:

- It's a shooter's map.

- That is?

- The circles and squares in the picture are the buildings around the palace, - the elfess explained, almost purring with pleasure. She made no secret of how proud she was of herself. - Dotted lines - shooting lines. The numbers are distances, angles, maybe some other calculations. The killer chose a point from which he could shoot at the princess when she appeared on the palace square. Remember the long pouch he slipped out with? I'm ready to argue, there is a gun or something like that.

- But why did he throw away the map?

- Because the map will not be useful to him. - The girl raised her finger. – There are no convenient positions around the palace, all the buildings are too low, and the palace itself is on a hill. Even with some long-range miracle gun from another world, the palace square is not shot through from the outside. He eventually realized this and was upset. Most likely, he would have burned the paper, but we frightened him off in time. In the confusion of fees, he forgot about it.

- Then what do you think he'll do?

- He will come closer. - Valria cupped her chin in her fingers, frowning. - We again need the help of our swarthy friend.

Lady Yana appeared immediately - the messenger had just left the door of the guardhouse and only a minute later returned, accompanied by a guardsman. The black-haired girl took a letter with a report from the elf, listened to her request and, without asking too many questions, led both mercenaries inside. Carlon sighed heavily, realizing Valria's intentions. Premonitions did not deceive - the captain began to cut circles around the palace. Fortunately, in the company of one of the protectors of the princess, they were let through everywhere. The elf was so focused that, tired of walking silently, Carlon preferred to start a conversation with Lady Yana walking alongside.

- Let me ask, lady, - he began, not at all sure that his interlocutor would answer him. - What happened to the duke’s guards? I remember there are three of them.

- Sir Fritz, next to whom the master died, chose to follow the call of honor, - the girl answered calmly. - His body will be buried next to His Highness. Sir Harold and Sir Roland, who were not present in the throne room at the time of the assassination, have already turned to Princess Christina with a request to decide their fate. The princess forbade them to commit suicide and asked them to serve her. So did all her ancestors in similar circumstances. Sirs swore allegiance to the princess, and will continue to serve as simple knights in the palace guards.

Glancing sideways at Carlon, she added:

- I must say that both sirs were eager to participate in the hunt for the killer. But the princess forbade them. Because it's too personal for them. I was assigned to help with the investigation, as even among my sisters in the guard, I am the least prone to succumb to emotions.

- It can be seen. - Valria suddenly stopped, turned to her companions. - Lady, how is this thing inside?

They stood in front of the observatory. The workplace of the ducal astrologer was located on the outskirts, in the corner of the palace fence - so that the light from the windows would not interfere with observations, probably. The observatory itself was a thin round tower topped with a copper dome. The dome, as Carlon knew, could rotate with the telescope installed inside.

- Most of the tower is occupied by a spiral staircase. - The guardswoman tilted her head back to see the entire observatory. - There is no basement. At the very top, under the platform of the telescope, there is a service room, from where servants can take care of the mechanism for turning the dome. Even lower is a large round room. Astrologers used to live in it, but now there is only a library. The current astrologer settled in the palace. He has bad knees.

- Well. - Valria chuckled. - I need to talk to the princess. The faster the better.

- It's impossible. - Lady Yana frowned. - Any questions you can solve with me.

- No, my dear lady, - the elf objected, still smiling. - Only her ladyship can decide this question personally.

They literally caught Princess Christina in the corridor, intercepting her halfway from one meeting to another. Under the heir to the throne, there were no ladies-in-waiting, no other retinue, only one more girl from the guard. Just like Lady Yana, the girl wore a blue uniform, long brown over the knee boots and unadorned silver armor, but otherwise turned out to be her complete opposite. Small and slender as a teenager, with a round high cheekbones face that would suit a smile, warm brown eyes and shoulder-length curly brown hair, she did not look menacing at all. The princess introduced her protector as Lady Emilia and invited everyone to go into the first office they came across, from where the guards put out some kind of clerk. Lady Yana, with a deep bow, apologized to her ladyship for her concern and gave the floor to Valria. She briefly shared her morning discovery and added:

- I examined the palace and came to the conclusion that there are only three points inside the fence, from where it will be possible to hit you with a shot at the time of the coronation, without catching the eyes of the external guard. These are the spire of the temple, the roof of the throne room and the dome of the observatory. But a good killer will choose a place based also on the ability to retreat after a shot. Our adversary is not one of those who will die for an idea, as it seems to me. The palace and temple will be filled with people, including guards. Only the observatory remains. It is not guarded and stands apart from other buildings. In addition, it is located near the fence itself. It is easy to get close to it unnoticed, and if you go down the outer wall of the tower on a rope, then with proper skill you can jump right behind the bars.

- To listen to you, so the killer goes to the palace as to his home, - Christina noticed, sitting down at the table left by the clerk. She gestured for the others to sit down, but the guards remained standing. Lady Yana bowed her head respectfully, placing her hand on her chest.

- Your Grace, the security of the palace relies too heavily on magic. The killer has already shown that he can pass through barriers and alarms. If we subtract the magic element, there will be many holes in the security system that we are not able to quickly detect and close. The inner chambers, for which the guards are responsible, are completely safe, but the rest of the territory is not. But thanks to Lady Valria, we know what to do. I will order to block all positions named by her.

- But this is not worth doing. - The elf, seated opposite the princess, laced her fingers together. - If this attempt fails, the killer will come up with something else. And we will not know where the villain will strike from. Only capturing the killer will really keep your ladyship safe. However, for this you have to let him put his head in the noose. Let him climb into the tower, there we will take him by the throat.

- It's a risk for the madam. - Lady Emilia said softly. Her voice was young and sonorous, to match her appearance.

- Yes. - Lady Yana nodded. - But I must agree with Lady Valria's logic. Leaving the killer free is an even greater risk. We must try. If you agree, Your Grace. - She turned to the princess.

- I agree, - she replied without hesitation. - However, I have a question for you, Lady Valria. What if the killer had already abandoned the shooting plan? If he remembered the lost map? Guessed we'd reveal his intentions?

- Then we just won’t give him time to prepare anything else. - The elf smiled. - Such attempts are not organized in one day. Your Grace, that's why I wanted to see you in person. I ask you to move the coronation date as close to today as possible. The best is the day after tomorrow. And announce that your father's funeral will take place in a crypt under the palace, without a public part. So we put the bastard before a choice - either play according to the old plan, or refuse the assassination attempt.

There was silence in the office. The princess and lady Emilia looked seriously dumbfounded, Carlon also almost opened his mouth at such impudence. But Lady Yana, after thinking for a moment, stepped forward and stood next to Valria. Putting her hands behind her back and throwing her chin up, she said firmly:

- My lady, I have the courage to join the request.

- You both want me to die of starvation before I get shot or poisoned. - Contrary to Carlon's expectations, the princess smiled wearily. - Everyone is already falling down, and you are asking to speed up the preparation... Well, so be it. The coronation will take place the day after tomorrow.