"I won"t fight you," Lis said. "You"ll kill me and I want to keep living to see how it ends. I obey your will. Cherish your cripple."

"Don"t call him a cripple!"

"Your wish is my command, my lord."

"I order you to become his friend as soon as possible, do you hear?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Right. Enriki, I"m talking to you, too."

Enriki bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

"Uugh, I"m so hungry!" Tol tumbled into the hall loudly and stopped, looking at everyone in surprise. "Are you praying or what? Ooh, buns for breakfast…" He froze catching Orel"s burning stare. "All right, all right, I"m not saying a word."

"By the way," he said a little later when noticing that Orel had calmed down, "where is Nikto? Doesn"t he have breakfast with us?"

"I sent a servant to bring him half an hour ago," Orel said. He rang the bell.

"Did you wake up the master?" he asked a shaking servant.

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He said," the servant started shaking even more, "…"go to hell!" I was afraid and left. I"m very afraid of him." The servant sobbed and fell onto his knees. "I thought he"d kill me! He looked at me – like I wasn"t there – and said: "Go to hell!" and my legs seemed to carry me to the door by themselves," the servant cried.

"All right, you idiot, you can go. I"ll wake him up myself," Orel said.

"Yeah, you try," Tol winked at him.

Orel walked up the stairs and quietly entered the room that had been offered to Nikto yesterday. It was one of the best rooms in the castle.

A splendid bed with a canopy was located on the dais near the wall. The floor was covered with expensive furs. They were littered with Nikto"s weapons, his clothes and bag.

Orel approached soundlessly.

Nikto lay in bed on his side, covered with a fur layer up to his waist. He was asleep. Orel stopped and looked at him. Nikto didn"t move. Orel smiled and slowly reached to his belt. Carefully, he took out his knife without taking his gaze away from the sleeping man. He raised the knife aiming at Nikto"s closed eye. His muscles were taut, he was ready for Nikto to wake up any moment. But Nikto kept breathing evenly and Orel relaxed his hand, lowered it slowly, nearly touching Nikto"s eye with the tip of the knife.