"No," Orel stopped him abruptly. "Let him die slowly. Let him understand what it means to be sorry – but for himself, not for others."
Vil crawled away from the table and leaned against the wall with difficulty.
Orel got up and gathered his possessions.
"Do you feel good, Vil?" he came up and looked down at him. "That wench would have killed you without hesitating. She"s great! I"d take her in, maybe, were she a warrior."
"Why do you do it, Arel?" Vil said quietly; his face was white, he could barely keep from moaning.
"Well, you"ve paid for everything," Orel said. "Let"s go."
"Arel, are you going to leave him like that – to die like a dog?" Enriki asked.
But Orel didn"t answer anything. He left the "Arbor" and the others followed him.
Only Nikto stayed behind and came up to bleeding Vil. He squatted in front of him. His cold grey eyes looked straight in Vil"s eyes.
"What do you need, son of the Devil?" Vil whispered. "My soul?"
Nikto smirked.
"Your life, idiot," he said gently and put his hand onto Vil"s eyes. When he took his hand away in a few moments, Vil was unconscious.
Nikto took out a piece of paper from his pocket and unclasped the purse from his belt. He put it next to Vil and left, following the others.
After Orel and his friends leave, the street dancer and the owner of the restaurant come back to the "Arbor". They take Vil to the doctor whose address Nikto left. The prince and his people don"t know about it. They forget Vil quickly.
Squint-Eye comes back with his army; Orel and Lis work out the last details of the invasion they plan to start any day now.
Nikto prepares for the next fight at "Coliseum".
They spend nights at "Backara", drinking and indulging in debauchery, or in Orel"s castle, doing the same.
Chapter 21
Orel"s Disciplining
They were spending the night in the castle. Tol, Asa, Enriki, Squint-Eye and Nikto played cards at the table in the big hall. Orel was introducing order among his servants and slaves. Their screams periodically reached the players and made Enriki wince.