A demon’s rival
Natalie Yacobson

Natalia Lilienthal Translator

© Natalie Yacobson, 2024

© Natalia Lilienthal, translation, 2024

ISBN 978-5-0064-4367-9

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Thirteen curses

Samantha looked out of the carriage. Night had fallen over the provinces of Ivilor, and the moon shone as brightly as if the moon fairies were dancing around it. The journey to the capital was not a long one. The carriage sped along the road, bouncing over bumps. A leprechaun squeaked under the road and was carelessly hit by the wheels of the carriage. A hiss of curses came from the coachman.

«Trouble is with you! I send thirteen curses after you all!»

Samantha shuddered. She thought she saw thirteen ghostly silhouettes separate from the trees and flapped their whitish wings. The figures resembled the ghosts of the plague. Samantha didn’t get a good look at them, but she remembered that a plague was roaming the outskirts of Ivilor, and that warlike nomadic tribes that looked suspiciously like werewolves were coming from the other side of the border. It’s as if thirteen curses have fallen upon the land. Pestilence, drought, crop failures, and some superstitious people claimed vampires were in the cemeteries. Who could be responsible for all these curses?

Samantha wondered for a long time. She believed in leprechauns, who lived in holes under roads and paths like moles. Only unlike moles, leprechauns kept gold and precious stones in their underground holes. She wished she could catch a leprechaun! Then she would be rich in no time and would not have to go to the capital. Samantha’s vain mother suddenly decided to send her daughter to court to find a rich groom. Her father, who spent his days in the library of the family estate, did not interfere with his wife’s plans. So Samantha shook in a carriage that bounced over every bump. She cursed the road, all the rich suitors, and her mother’s selfishness. It would have been good to stay at home and pick flowers in the garden of the manor. No, her mother wanted to arrange her daughter’s fate as favorably as possible. How unfair!

«If you had been born into a less ambitious family, everything would have been fine,» Samantha said to her reflection in the carriage window. «And some insolent leprechaun has managed to curse me thirteen times for being unhappy as I am! Had he known that I was only a puppet in the plans of a vain parent! What a pity you can’t choose your parents!»

«But you can choose a patron,» whispered a melodious voice outside.

There was no one in the carriage, except for the grooms on the saddles. But the grooms were young men, and the voice was definitely female. Samantha opened the window. Now there were several voices whispering outside.

«I swear to you, I would fly to Ivilor, but it’s useless. They won’t even let us on the edge of the parapet of the royal balcony.»

«How can you not let the fairies in? The King has been polite to the magical people so far. He respected us! Why the sudden change of heart?»

«It’s because of the King’s companion! The King is untouchable now!»

Are those fairies whispering? Samantha saw translucent hovering silhouettes in the heights. If they are fairies, they are always right. Only why are they saying it next to her with the express intention that she should hear them? Does her fate have something to do with the fate of the king himself? And the king, according to the fairies, is out of reach. All right, she’s not aiming at the king.

Samantha lowered the velvet curtain of the carriage, but the voices of the fairies still reached her ears.

«Serpin is poor!»

«Yes, poor King!»

How could the king of a rich country be called poor? Samantha was tempted to open the window and get into a debate with the fairies, but she held back. She’d already been cursed thirteen times today. She didn’t want to get cursed fourteen more times.

«Imagine!» The voices of the fairies sounded outside, melodious as bells. «The king will never have a sweetheart, a maid of honor, a bride, or even a wife.»

«Will he go to the Red Constellation Monastery?»

«It is no way! The strong demon won’t let him go there. He drinks and sleeps next to the king, but no one knows about it. That’s why the beautiful young king will never have a bride or a favorite. No girl can be with him.»

«What must he do?»

«He must cast out the dodgy demon.»

«Isn’t that the same thing: breaking the curse and casting out the demon?»

«No, neither! You’ll see I’m right! Such a strong-willed girl will not be found. The King will be alone forever. There is not even a fairy strong enough to rescue him from the demon’s grasp. And whoever tries to save him will die!»

«You’re just scaring us, Rosafeira, because you want to take him away yourself!»

The voices of the fairies were like an operetta under a carriage window. Samantha couldn’t stand it any longer, so she lifted the curtain and opened the window. The scent of wild roses wafted into her nostrils, as if a rose fairy were flying outside the window.

«There are dangerous borders beyond! We’re not going that way,» several winged silhouettes chanted. In the darkness Samantha couldn’t see them properly. They soon fell behind the carriage.

A demon on the road

The voices above the carriage seemed like a dream. Could she have dozed off on the road? Samantha looked out the window for the fairies. Were they really following the carriage? No, it must have been a dream. Who was she to get the fairies’ sympathy? Rumor has it that fairies suddenly appear out of the void to advise only special girls. And she is an ordinary provincial noblewoman. Her manners, education and appearance leave much to be desired. An unusual mole in the shape of a star on her shoulder is the most unique thing about her. For some reason, superstitious people called this mole a mark of fairies, so Samantha tried not to wear dresses with open shoulders. It’s uncomfortable to have fingers pointed at you. In the Inquisition, they might call it a witch’s mark and send Samantha to the stake. There’s an inquisition in the capital. Samantha hated to go there, but she couldn’t turn back. Her mother had told the coachman, when he complained of frequent attacks by robbers, that even if he met a demon on the road, he couldn’t go back.

«We won’t meet a demon, but the bandits might attack us,» Samantha grumbled, hoping the fairies would respond again, but they were silent. Or were they not even here anymore? If the fairies didn’t follow the carriage, then the boundaries were indeed dangerous.

Samantha became despondent. Even though the fairies hadn’t spoken to her specifically, they had indirectly given her advice: don’t go to Ivylor. It’s dangerous! It would have been better if they had given such advice to her mother. Only Samantha’s mother could decide where her daughter would go. Samantha was tired of feeling powerless, but not having a penny to her name, she could not do what she wanted.

An owl hooted somewhere. It was normal for nighttime, but the disturbed cries of day birds were not supposed to be heard at night. Samantha recognized the startled trills of nightingales, kingfishers, and skylarks. A flock of birds was flying away from the forest. Their wings hit the roof of the carriage. Samantha recognized woodpeckers, thrushes, magpies and orioles. Were the birds migrating? Or had something frightened them so much that they were hurrying away from the forest? The forest animals also ran away with such speed that they almost got under the wheels of the carriage. The coachman had to slow down. Samantha watched in amazement as foxes, squirrels, hares and even moles ran away from the forest. Could there be a forest fire raging ahead? No orange flames could be seen in the distance. Could the animals and birds have gone mad?

Suddenly the horses in the carriage reared up. The carriage almost overturned. Samantha fell from her seat and hit her shoulder against the wall.

«It hurts!» Someone nearby squeaked.

Samantha looked over her shoulder for the person who had spoken. Had the leprechaun from the fields the carriage had passed this morning jumped into the carriage and hid under the seat? No mice or leprechauns in sight. But the dress had slipped off Samantha’s shoulder, and the star-shaped mole shone as brightly as if it had been a star. What an obsession! Samantha tried to pull up the sleeve, but it was torn. And the mole shone more and more dazzlingly.

«It must be a fairy’s joke!» Samantha complained as the coachman struggled to hold the horses. It seemed the horses were frightened by something and might have gotten loose. Samantha could hear them snorting excitedly.

What was going on in the forest that all the animals were so frightened? If the fairies were flying nearby again, one could ask them. If only they’d honor an ordinary Earth girl with an answer.

«Hey, coachman,» Samantha called, and then bit her lip. Her accent and manner seemed too rustic. How would a highborn lady call her servant? While Samantha was thinking, the carriage stopped. It smelled hot from the darkness, like a furnace. So there really was a forest fire up ahead. It meant they’d never make it to lvilor. Samantha rejoiced. Now they could go home.

She was early to rejoice. Neither the grooms nor the coachman responded. Had they been kidnapped by fairies? Samantha cautiously opened the carriage door. An unbearably bright light struck her eyes. A circle of fire was shining right on the road. Only a dragon could leave such a mark on the road. Samantha was frightened. Was here a dragon? Surely it intends to kidnap an innocent girl and take her to its caves. We must escape!

The circle of fire blazed brighter and brighter. Tongues of flame rose to the dark sky, but for some reason they did not spread through the forest, even though the trees were close to the road, and dry twigs were lying on the road itself. Somehow it was suspicious! The fire looked like a witch’s circle. Samantha became interested. Curiosity was stronger than panic. The girl got out of the carriage and stood on tiptoe to peer into the circle. No dragon was there, but a small, skinny black creature was hopping around inside the circle. He had a long tail. Was it a demon? It was horned, ugly, and incredibly agile. But its voice was pleasant, like a minstrel’s. The imp was humming some kind of counting song.

The nimble demon released his claws. Samantha was afraid that he would attack her and jumped aside, but the demon put his clawed paw on the throat of the dead girl, who was lying in a circle of fire. Judging by her dress with diamonds, she was no less than a duchess. Samantha looked at her jewelry with envy. Though was it wise to envy a dead woman? However, the demon quickly removed the jewelry from her, and they disappeared as if dissolved in his clawed paws. The body of the dead girl was mercilessly wounded by the demon, and he made some fanciful marks on the ground with her blood. He drew them with his claw more evenly than with a pen.

«Let all who pass through here know what happens to those who cross me, the great Ibracimus of Hell!» The evil black creature proclaimed. «All travelers spread the rumor of how powerful I am! Or else you’ll be in trouble!»

The demon suddenly noticed Samantha and wanted to jump on her. Now he would sink his claws into her throat and she would become the second corpse on the road. Samantha suddenly noticed that the coachman and the groomsmen were already dead, with claw marks on their throats. Pieces of meat had been torn from their bodies, as if a cannibal had feasted here. Demons must be feeding on humans. She’s going to die in this forest! That’s why she was so reluctant to go on the journey! Samantha waited for the fatal attack, but she guessed the demon had had enough.

«Hey, girl!» He called out to her. «Do you swear to spread frightening news about me all over the neighborhood?»

«Yes, of course, Your Infernal Majesty,» Samantha mumbled hastily, and even wanted to curtsy before the demon, but her legs wouldn’t bend with fear.

«Then live! But if I find out that you kept what you saw on the road tonight from anyone, I will come to your bedroom and tear you to pieces with my claws in your sleep.»

The imp jumped almost to the heavens and disappeared from the circle of fire. The fire immediately went out, but the dead body of the noblewoman was left lying on the road, and around it stretched a ligature of bizarre bloody symbols. The symbols must be witchcraft. Samantha was afraid to go near them. The dead girl was a very beautiful lush-breasted brunette. Her dress of the finest Alur’s brocade was embroidered with the ducal arms. Samantha would have wished her to rest in peace had she not feared the demon’s vengeance.

«Does he really want everyone to know about his misdeeds?» She wondered. «He should be in the theater. He must have been thrown out of hell for striving for the stage.»

The coachman’s body slid off the horses and fell to the ground. Samantha realized it was useless to wait on the road. There were no helpers in sight. Unless another pack of demons swooped down and tore her apart.

It was hard for the girl to get on the goats herself and make the unruly horses move. They were so frightened that they refused to move forward for a long time. When the carriage did move, the horses went around the unfortunate circle and nearly broke their legs, for there was a ravine at the side of the road.

«The lady is driving the carriage! That’s no good,» whispered from behind the puzzled voices of the forest fairies.

Had the fairies begun to behave like high society gossips? Samantha herself knew that a lady should not replace the coachman. But with no coachman and a forest full of evil, what could be done?

In the morning, Samantha thought she was just dreaming, but at court she spotted the fairies again.

«All maidens away from Serpin,
Or you’ll die like Evangelina.
Though his crown beguile you,
But there’s a devil on his shoulder.
If you come near Serpin,
You shall die immediately.»

The Dwarf King

After such a terrible incident, one could go home and do what the demon wanted: spread the horrible news about him all over the neighborhood. Everyone would realize that after the horrors Samantha had endured, she didn’t want to go to Ivilor. Or would that trick not work? Her mom said that even if she met a demon on the road, she couldn’t go back. Even though it was a metaphor, mom got it right. Samantha met a demon.

«What do we do now?» In frustration, the girl kicked the wheel of the carriage. Naturally, the carriage didn’t move.

She no longer had a coachman, no groomsmen. Her encounter with the demon had deprived her of her traveling companions. Would she have to drive the carriage herself?

Samantha glanced at the empty road. No oncoming carriages or riders were expected. Maybe someone would show up in the morning. We should stay in the carriage and wait for help. What if the bandits showed up before the helpers did? Samantha had heard how often they rob carriages on the big roads.

There’s no sitting still. She’s a lonely, defenseless girl, a tasty morsel for bandits and other dark figures. Only a devil would shun her. It’s unlikely the bandits will spare her either.

Samantha would love to go home, but her mother wouldn’t forgive her. You can’t be such a coward. I mean, what if she met a demon on the road? She must quickly put this terrible incident out of her mind and go on with his life as if nothing had happened.

«I didn’t see him! I was just dreaming about him!» Samantha admonished herself. That’s how you get rid of nightmares. It was better to think of them as an obsession or not at all.

But she had promised the demon that she would tell everyone about him. What if she didn’t, he’d get back at her? What if she just forgot about what had happened?

Samantha imagined her running around the village screaming about demons, and superstitious peasants searching for demons and robbing landlords’ estates of everything of value. Riots because of evil spirits are frequent. Sometimes it is better to be quiet, even if the demon is sitting next to you. After all, there is nothing scarier than panic.

Samantha pulled the coachman’s cloak, and his body slipped off the horses. It turned out that the coachman was carrying a carbine to defend the carriage from bandits. Samantha decided to appropriate the weapon. When traveling on deserted roads, a carbine or musket does not hurt. The coachman had another revolver in his pocket. Well, now she’s armed for war. Let’s go!

The horses, as it happens, would not budge.

«I am your lawful mistress, your master’s only daughter. You must obey me!» Samantha exhorted them. The horses didn’t care! There were four of them in the carriage. Their names were Naughty, Ardent, Sleepyhead and Pegasus. Rascal was trying to prove that his nickname was a waste of time. It completely contradicted his sedate manners and slow walk. Rusty also loved to be lazy and to nibble on roadside grass. Sonja dozed on the move. Pegasus was named Pegasus as if in jest. He had no horn and no wings on his sides. A regular horse! The stable boy must have heard a lot of fairy tales and decided to name him that. If Pegasus had been magic, she would have left the three lazy horses and ridden him to Ivilor in a heartbeat.

The horses were stubbornly unwilling to obey her.

«Horses, sweethearts, let’s make a deal. Here’s a carrot!» Samantha shoved the only carrot she had in her picnic basket under Pegasus’ nose. The horse ate the carrot, but didn’t obey.

«You are scoundrel!» She scolded the horse, even though he wasn’t a gelding. «If you don’t go, I’ll call you a donkey or even a monkey!»

The horse didn’t care, but a voice from under the wheels answered:

«Better a pony!»

Is there really someone underground? Is it another demon? Samantha looked for something to defend herself with. A funny looking gnome in a bright green outfit and wearing a crown came out from under the wheels.

«I love ponies, they’re just the right size for me,» he waved a chubby hand in greeting.

«You are a pygmy!» Samantha shrieked and backed away.

«Don’t insult me!»

«And what are you?»

«I’m a dwarf. Or rather, the king of the dwarves,» he fixed his crown, which had slipped to his side, and winked at the girl. «I agree that there is nothing worse than a small stature, but I do not like lanky fellows either.»

«Now you’re insulting me,» Samantha said, rightly deciding that at her height she seemed no more graceful than a milepost.

«I used to think of tall girls like you as tall,» he admitted, «but now I’m married to a princess as tall as you.»

What a surprise! A dwarf married to a real princess!

«You kidnapped her?»

«At first, yes,» the dwarf confessed embarrassed. «I had to lure her into my dwarf kingdom. Viola didn’t like it, but she liked my library. And then the girl appreciated my wisdom. She said that I was the wisest dwarf in the world and even wanted to marry me, but between us was her old acquaintance – a tall blond elf.»

«And then what happened?» Involuntarily Samantha became interested.

«Viola had met the elf much earlier than she had met me. They shared a common passion – music. Viola plays the elves’ whistle very well. Anyway, the elf came to rescue her, and with him his entire magical army.»

«It was the horror! If the elves turned against the dwarves, then the dwarves’ kingdom is over?

«Not quite! Although the elves are strong, they’re short-sighted. And the dwarves are small but wise. Our powers were equal.»

«And when the elf decided he couldn’t beat you, you married Viola?» Samantha guessed.

«Alas, it was more complicated than that. Since neither rival could defeat the other, Viola had to decide the dispute between us. She had to choose who she wanted to stay with: the dwarf or the elf.»

«She probably chose the elf. I’ve heard that elves are very beautiful.»

«But empty-headed! Clever Viola took that into account. She liked the way Urel looked, but she didn’t like everything he did or said. She talked to me for hours, but my looks disappointed her.»

«You couldn’t cross an elf’s body with a dwarf’s brain to suit a princess’s tastes, could you?»

«But it was possible to give her a privilege: two husbands at once, which the generous dragon emperor Edwin did. Since he rules over all the magical creatures in the universe, he held a trial where he gave his verdict. And now Viola spends one month in the elf realm, and the next month she returns to me in the dwarves’ realm.»

«So one month she’s the wife of an elf, and the next month she’s the wife of a dwarf king! That’s an interesting alternation! I wouldn’t have dreamed it in a wild dream.»

«You’re not in the same situation as Viola,» the dwarf chuckled.

«That’s right. I’ve never fallen in love once, let alone twice! But Princess Viola is lucky. If she has two husbands at once, when one goes bankrupt, she can always come to live with the other. When my father went bankrupt, my mother had no one to go to, so she took it out on me.»

Samantha didn’t notice how she began to trust the gnome. She was not even embarrassed by the fact that she was standing in the middle of the roadway talking to a stranger.

«Viola is by the elves now. They muse and dance on the cliffs by the sea, with azure dragons flying nearby. They love Viola’s whistle.»

«Is it far from here?» Samantha wanted to see elf society.

«If you don’t have wings, it’s a month from here to the cliffs of the Coast Elves.»

«Then I won’t get there in time. I’m running out of time. Say hello to Viola when she gets back.»

«I have nothing to do while she’s with the elf,» the dwarf muttered, «but when she gets back, I’ll be happy for a month, and I’m already collecting gifts for her,» the dwarf turned a leaf that had fallen from the tree into an emerald. «She also likes it when I read interesting stories aloud to her, so I became a regular at the royal library, borrowing books there for Viola, but the king’s current advisor won’t let me in anymore. He’s so clawed!»

She guessed the dwarf was referring to the character of the counselor. The king’s counselor can’t really be clawed!

«I have a book from my father’s library with me. Here, take it for Viola,» Samantha rummaged under the carriage seat and pulled out an adventure novel.

«Your father has good taste. We should visit him,» the dwarf was glad of the gift and eagerly began to leaf through the book with a small number of pictures.

«You can do that. Father is in the library day and night, and you can catch him there anytime. And if my prim mother doesn’t catch the two of you there together, my father will be sure to treat you to tea or even port.»

«It is good!» The gnome king’s tiny eyes lit up with lively interest. «It’s so good that I met you. Usually girls are frightened of me and even try to trample me with their feet.»

«I’m not scared. Besides, you’re better than the creepiness I met on the road before you.»

The dwarf thought she was talking about wild animals and looked toward the forest.

«By the way, do you know how to make my horses move?»

«It is simple!» The dwarf scratched the hoof of one horse, and suddenly the whole four moved. Samantha barely had time to scoot back into the carriage.

«Goodbye! I’m going to Ivilor,» she shouted to the dwarf. «You can visit me at the local royal palace.»

«Is it to lvilor!» The dwarf’s face suddenly grew concerned. «You shouldn’t go there! You’d better come back!»

«I have no choice!»

Samantha looked out of the window, but instead of the dwarf, she saw the glassy eyes of the dead Evangelina. They were staring straight at her, as if the dead one was trying to warn her about something. The horses were backing away from the corpse and trying to avoid it, as if a demon still sat on Lady Evangelina’s chest. The pentagram around the dead body glowed mysteriously red.

Werewolf’s Manor

The manor with its beautiful brick turrets appeared on the left side of the road like a mirage. Samantha couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t even traveled a mile and she was already lucky. Such a large and handsome estate must be home to local aristocrats. Samantha knew from her own experience that they always welcome guests from the upper class. First of all, it was not difficult to find extra rooms for guests in a huge house, and secondly, the nobility, living on the outskirts, liked to ask travelers for news. Samantha’s mother loved to chat with travelers who were on their way to or from Ivylor to see the king. From them, one could learn many interesting things. Unfortunately, her mother had also learned about finding a rich groom at court from them. Otherwise Samantha wouldn’t have to travel the bumpy roads now.

She needed rest, and she was willing to pay for rest with travel stories. Samantha imagined sitting in a cozy living room and telling the whole family about how she’d met a demon on the road. No, she shouldn’t call him a demon. Otherwise she’d be labeled a lunatic and sent to the servants’ barn for the night. It is better to say that the demon was an unusual wild animal that can walk on its hind legs and growl, imitating human speech. This beast also mauled a certain Lady Evangelina to death. Maybe the locals know who that lady was.

A manor house is more comfortable than an inn. The main thing is that all its inhabitants are not sleeping so soundly that they cannot be awakened by knocking and shouting.

The horses stopped obediently in front of the manor. They did not seem to want to go any farther. They didn’t make it to the gate either. Samantha had long ago realized that it was useless to prod the horses, so she got out of the carriage and walked to the entrance.

«If you’re lucky, horses, you’ll find plenty of straw and cozy stalls inside,» she encouraged the animals. They only snorted derisively in response. Did even the horses doubt that Samantha was welcome here?

There were no guards at the entrance to the manor. The gate stood open. One leaf was off its hinges. The wrought iron fence was overgrown with moss and mold.

«And here I thought my mother didn’t know how to run a household!» Samantha stared in amazement at the overgrown garden, which clearly had no gardener. It looked like a jungle. Even the path to the house was overgrown with tall weeds. A creeper grew in the empty fountain. It tightly wrapped around the sculpture of a half-woman, half-wolf standing on top of the fountain.

«What kind of goddess is that?» Samantha wondered. «I don’t know of one.»

«It is the Goddess of Wolves,» was a husky male voice from behind her. Samantha turned around. A tall, thin brunet in a tattered camisole stood in front of her.

«Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! I thought the manor was uninhabited,» Samantha said, pleased. «It looks so abandoned.»

«I think it’s a paradise,» the brunet sniffed at the girl as if she were food.

Samantha was surprised.

«You don’t like my perfume?» She had long suspected that the Alurian’s perfume her mother had bought from the buyer was just a fake. It smelled no better than cologne, but there was little to choose from in the province. Either buy what they offered or invent perfume from dandelions and wormwood. Other plants did not grow in abundance at home.

The brunet who met Samantha was silent and so pale that he looked like a consumption patient. His dark hair was greasy. The buttons of his camisole had fallen off, and there were holes in the sleeves.

This must be a run-down estate, Samantha concluded. It must be a ruined estate, Samantha concluded, which meant she couldn’t expect a hearty dinner or a luxurious bedroom. There might not be straw for the horses in the stables either.

«I don’t want to embarrass you, but I need a place to sleep. I lost my coachman and groomsmen on my journey, so I would be very grateful if you could lend me your coachman. I’m going to Aluar, to the King’s court. By the way, have you met the King?»

Instead of answering, the brunet beckoned Samantha toward the house. The nails on his hand were long and sharp. When he’d walked past her and touched the fountain’s curb, the marble had scratched.

«Is there anyone else living at the estate besides you?» Samantha found it odd that there were no lights on in any of the many windows. The facade was dark. Only the tiled turrets glowed, as if fire fairies lived inside them.

«I have a large community.»

«You mean family?»

«Mm-hmm,» the brunet nodded.

Samantha followed him into the spacious hallway. The house was black. There were no footmen or butler. There was no one to light the fireplace or the candelabra. Samantha fumbled for a beam and lit it with the torch she was accustomed to carrying in her pocket.

«Put it out!» The brunet demanded. «Darkness should not be lit by fire. You’ll call the firebrands from the attics, and they’re stinging!»

«Unlike you, I don’t have the gift of seeing in the dark,» Samantha said. «I need some light.»

The brunet grumbled something, but didn’t put out the flame. For some reason his grumbling sounded like a growl to Samantha. The disheveled boy had a predatory look, as if he’d just hunted wolves and had managed to kill them with his bare hands. The nobles living in the wilderness must have gone feral, Samantha concluded. It was a good thing she and her parents hadn’t gotten to that state yet. Probably it was because there was a large village nearby. And the local manor is far away from settlements. Its owners are isolated. The big road nearby is deserted. Samantha had not seen a single carriage or rider in days.

The deep scratches on the walls and paintings became visible in the candlelight. The same scratches marred the floor.

«Wolves must have danced here!» Samantha joked

«Yes, there was a ball,» the brunet snorted.

He must not have realized she was joking. How could wolves give a ball? Only wolves or bears could scratch the hard marble floor like that. Humans in shoes, or even barefoot, were incapable of such a thing.

The scratches stretched along the stair railings, the steps, the columns. What had just happened here? Maybe the manor had been attacked by werewolf wolves. Some of the windows were broken or covered with lead shutters.

Samantha touched the tapestry, which was in shreds. It had definitely been mangled by someone’s claws. No one could cut so unevenly with knives or scissors.

«You need repairs,» Samantha found the trellises flying off and the picture frames cracked.

«What do you mean?» The brunet snorted so dismissively that Samantha shut up. Didn’t he know what repairs were?

Let the companion be quiet. He didn’t want to make small talk, so he didn’t have to. It doesn’t matter that the estate is falling apart. The important thing is that the cook has something for dinner. Assuming there is a cook. There’s got to be some food here.

The companion led Samantha to a large room on the second floor. It was crowded. Thirteen people. Samantha counted them for good measure. Yes, exactly thirteen. What a coincidence. It was exactly the number she hadn’t liked since she’d been cursed with it.

«Dinner has arrived!» The brunet announced in a loud voice.

Samantha looked confused. He probably meant he had brought her to dinner. Usually people go to dinner themselves, not dinner arriving at their door. The beautiful brunette in the bright red ball gown was also surprised and leaned her lorgnette to her face.

«Usually we have to run through the woods for dinner ourselves, but suddenly dinner is coming to us!» She rejoiced. «Isn’t there a ghost behind you, Tien?»

Tien must have been the name of the brunetn. Samantha stepped forward.

«I swear I’m not a ghost!» She said defiantly. «I am alive! Are you often haunted?»

The brunette laughed pretentiously. She was the prettiest thing in the manor. Her luxurious dress looked out of place amidst the tattered tapestries and scratched chairs. Everyone else, though, was dressed in expensive camisoles and looked as scruffy as Tien.

«I’m Jessica,» the brunette introduced herself. Though she spoke and moved, she seemed like an inanimate porcelain doll in a silk ball gown. A diamond tiara sparkled in her black hair, arranged in an intricate braid.

Samantha looked around. Except for Jessica, everyone present was male. They all took the time to introduce themselves by name. That’s rude! Probably should be counter impolite.

«Are you mute?» Jessica wondered.

«I’m Lady Samantha,» she mumbled, but didn’t give her full name. It was probably a precautionary instinct. She wondered if this was a noble robber’s estate.

«I am glad to see you!» Jessica smiled broadly. Her pearly white teeth were very sharp. The front incisors resembled fangs. «Come in! Sit next to me! There’s no need to stand on the doorstep. It’s rude!»

Everyone but Jessica was being rude, but Samantha remained silent. There was no dinner on the low tea table in front of Jessica. But there was a broken tea set, and some shiny objects lying in a pile. Jessica drank tea from the only cup that was intact. The tea was such a thick red color that Samantha would have refused it, but it wasn’t offered to her. There were no cakes or cookies with the tea.

«Do you have any bread and cheese in the kitchen?» She asked, overcoming her pride. She was very hungry, and the picnic basket she had brought with her had run out of food.

«Bread and cheese is peasant food,» said the tall, stately man standing behind Jessica’s chair.

«Then don’t you have a more refined meal?»

«What would you like?» Jessica made Samantha sit down beside her and began groping the girl as if she were a chicken to be plucked before cooking.

«I’d like pâté, pancakes with rose petal jam, dumplings or stuffed cabbage. How is about cottage cheese pie?» Samantha listed all her favorite dishes, but there was nothing like that in the local kitchen. Jessica and Tien’s community didn’t eat cottage cheese, boiled eggs, vegetable salads, soups, or even desserts.

«So what do you eat anyway?» The girl wondered.

«Only the most dainty and exquisite dishes,» Jessica smiled enigmatically.

Probably fish delicacies are not even worth asking about. If the fountain in the garden has dried up, then the ponds on the estate have long since dried up. There’s nowhere to fish.

«Can’t they at least make meat dishes here?»

«That’s interesting,» Jessica licked her lips.

Samantha was afraid. Jessica put her arm around her shoulders. She must be the mistress of the manor, and this way she let everyone know that she had patronized her guest.

Jessica was beautiful, but her touch made Samantha feel sick. It felt like a corpse had touched her.

Among the pile of glittering objects on the table, an earring sparkled, suspiciously similar to the one the demon had pulled out of Evangeline’s dead ear. Samantha couldn’t remember if the dead woman had been wearing one earring or two. Maybe Evangelina’s from this estate.

«Do you have the whole family together?» Samantha asked.

Jessica waggled her eyebrows expressively, and the men grinned as if the guest had asked an amusing question.

«Is a certain Lady Evangelina your neighbor by any chance?» Samantha asked another question.

«Have you met Evangelina?» Jessica was surprised.

«I saw her on the road…» Samantha’s tongue was slurring. How to say that she hadn’t met Evangelina, but her corpse?

«Usually that proud girl was above meeting country girls on the road,» Jessica pouted. Her porcelain face began to look cranky. «Duchesses don’t talk to just anyone.»

«Are you a duchess, too, since she was talking to you?» Samantha thought to herself that Jessica was no less than a marquise. What would she say? What her title is, and who the men around her are. They are all brunets with dark eyes, just like her. You can tell they all belong to the same clan.

«I’m the local queen,» Jessica pulled Samantha’s hair like a doll.

«Are you a bandits’ queen?» Samantha gasped as she saw knives flashing in one of the men’s hands. Or were they not knives, but claws?

«I am the Queen of the wolves,» Jessica corrected. Samantha felt something furry pressed against her back. Was Jessica really wearing a mantle she hadn’t noticed?

The full moon was just peeking through the cracked window. Isn’t it too late for the moon now? Samantha thought she’d been at the manor most of the night. But she guessed it’s still a long way from dawn, isn’t it?

«The moon is our patron saint,» Jessica said in a sermonizing tone. Her companions laughed hoarsely. Their laughter turned to snarls. Samantha was wiping her eyes when she noticed the brown or gray fur growing on the skin of those gathered and their limbs turning into paws. Jessica was suddenly fluffy too, like a large wolf.

Samantha struggled to get out of her clutches. Tickling herself was useless. Wolves in torn camisoles standing on their hind legs were no dream. In the large she-wolf that led them, Jessica could only be recognized by her dress and tiara.

«Help me!» Samantha rushed to the door. She should have brought her carbine with her, but she’d left the weapon in the carriage. The horses wouldn’t come to rescue her, and the moon peeking through the windows favored only werewolves.

«Get her!» Even in wolf form, Jessica spoke in a familiar contralto. «Dinner’s getting away!»

Several wolves blocked the girl’s path. Samantha found herself at a dead end. She pressed her back against the tattered tapestry. If only there was a secret doorway in the wall now.

One werewolf tore at Samantha’s dress with a paw. The fabric crunched, the sleeve ripped off. Samantha clutched her eyes in fear, and when she opened them a moment later, all the wolves recoiled. It appeared that the mole shining on her shoulder again had scared them away. Werewolves can’t be scared of a mole.

«You can’t touch her!» Jessica said regretfully. – «Let’s all run into the woods! We’ll find another victim before morning!»

The wolf pack raced toward the door, leaving new scratches on the already hopelessly ruined floor.

Fairies’ instructions

Samantha waited a moment. The wolves ran off. The horses they thankfully didn’t touch. An excited neighing could be heard outside. Apparently, werewolves only eat humans.

The girl picked up the shreds left from her sleeve. Maybe as compensation for the torn dress, she could carry away the werewolf jewelry. There was jewelry and oddly shaped keys on the table. Samantha liked the gold-plated key with the heart-shaped head and slipped it into her pocket. It was not theft. It was compensation for emotional distress. She’s been scared to death in here!

There was blood in the bottom of the cup Jessica was drinking from. She should have known it wasn’t red tea. Both green and pink tea are imported to Ivylor too rarely, and they are speculated in such a way that even aristocrats can’t always afford them. Overseas merchants are rare guests in the country. Rumor has it that some powerful spirit scares merchants away from the royal harbor, taking away their goods.

Samantha descended the stairs, walked across the wolf-scratched floor, and stepped out into the courtyard. The neglected garden and the sculpture of the wolf goddess on the fountain began to frighten her.

How could there be so much light in an abandoned manor at night to see everything? Samantha looked around for a lantern, but all that emerged from the thicket was an orange fairy with heat coming from it. Samantha recoiled. The fairy resembled a hovering flame. It was small in size, but it looked like a blazing sun. Being near her was like sitting down by a melted stove.

«Who are you?» Samantha backed up and asked the question spontaneously, even though it was already clear that a fire fairy was hovering next to her.

«I am a fire fairy, of course! Famma…,» the fairy raised her orange eyebrows in amazement. «And you’re a guest who leaves the manor alive? That’s unusual!»

«Have there been other guests here before me?» Samantha marveled at the people walking the wolf’s nest themselves. She guessed it was not surprising if wolves could turn into aristocrats.

The fire fairy nodded vigorously. Her entire body, wings, hair, and skin were glowing with orange light, making the fairy resemble a flying bonfire.

«There were so many of them here! Kennels, woodsmen, woodcutters, masons, roofers, shopkeepers – all their bones are put into my fireplace so that I have something to burn,» boasted the fire fairy.

It was to cover their tracks, you fool! Bones are evidence!»

«Is it evidence?» The fairy frowned. She probably didn’t understand what the word meant. «The royal advisor was looking for some evidence here too.»

«Was the royal advisor in this estate? And did nothing to keep us all safe from werewolves?» Samantha’s righteous anger flared up.

«He threatened to wipe the manor and its inhabitants to powder if we continued to do whatever we wanted,» the fairy recalled.

«So he has a conscience after all! That’s comforting! I’ve heard that the king’s counselor is completely unscrupulous. The travelers must be slandering him. Are you sure you heard everything?»

«I was hiding in the chimney. I could hear every rustle in there.»

Orange lights were coming off the turrets. They flew down and turned into new fire fairies.

«These are my sisters!» Famma waved a flaming hand at them in greeting.

Samantha was not happy about the fairies. It was getting as hot as a furnace next to them. She struggled to slip out of the tight ring of fire fairies that had flocked to the fountain.

«We’re heating and lighting the castle!» They bragged. «Are you going to marry one of the werewolves?»

«Gods forbid! What makes you think that?»

«Otherwise you wouldn’t be left alone in the manor,» Famma concluded.

«I’m leaving now,» Samantha picked up her lush skirts and ran for the exit. The fire fairies followed her in a swarm. Apparently they hadn’t had anyone to talk to for a long time. The werewolf masters were unlikely to talk to the fairies. They were tolerated in the manor only for fire and light.

The wicket door was unlocked. Samantha ran to the horses. They were not too eager to see their mistress. Pegasus was peacefully nibbling on the grass. Naughty, Sleepyhead and Ardent stared at her with empty, lazy eyes.

«Damn it!» Samantha cursed. «Those stupid geldings can’t be moved again!»

The horses did not take offense at her angry words, but the fire fairies fluttered nearby and watched the scene bewildered. For some reason, the horses were not afraid of their fire. Apparently they weren’t afraid to get burned. Samantha noticed that the light touch of the fairies made dry twigs burst into flames and the fence soot.

«I understood correctly that you were going to leave us,» Famma said disappointedly.

«I must leave, or I’ll be nothing but bones when your landlords return!»

This time the fire fairies understood her perfectly and began to help clear the road of dry branches and bushes. It turned out that one fire fairy could easily burn the thorny bushes just by touching them with her wings. All the orange fairies were the size of frail teenagers, and they had more strength than the fire giant. Samantha whistled in surprise. Even her whistle didn’t get the horses to budge.

«You’re taming them wrong!» Famma flew over to the harness with a look of expertise.

«Do you have to burn them to get them to move?» Samantha snorted sarcastically.

«You have to be gentle! You’ll drive them around like a coachman. Horses don’t like that. They don’t need saddles, spurs or bridles.»

«But then they’d go wild!»

«No, they won’t! If you sing to them, they will always please you,» the Fire Fairy sang. Her song was like the hissing of flames, and the horses obediently followed the fairy. Samantha barely had time to climb onto the horses. She held the whip and reins, but the horses obeyed Famma, not her.

«Now you try to sing to them,» suggested the fire fairy.

«I can’t do that! You have to be a fairy to sing like that!»

«Let’s not be prejudiced!» Famma flashed her orange eyes menacingly. «Just sing, that’s all!»

The fairy resembled a flaming torch. She could persuade anyone to become more obedient. If not indulged, she would scorch or even burn. Samantha sang obediently. Strangely enough, the horses obeyed. They trotted forward.

«Then you must sing so they would not be lazy again!» Samantha hoped the fairies would guide her to the capital. It was a brighter ride with them. When the flaming silhouettes flanked the road, there was no fear of ravines or bandits. Besides, if the fairies flew away, the horses would be stubborn again. Samantha was not so naive as to believe that the horses obeyed only her singing. It was not without the fairies’ energy.

Alas, as soon as the sky began to lighten, the fire fairies hurriedly said goodbye and flew back to the manor. Samantha looked at them in despair, but the horses continued to trot forward. Samantha was afraid to let them gallop. She didn’t encourage speeding. You could crash into a milepost. Near her parents’ estate, carriages often crashed. Probably the tops of the poles were badly placed there. The carriages were literally bumping into them. Samantha had once dreamed that the poles were living monsters that caught travelers. Now it seemed to her that the mileposts on the road to Ivilor were ugly goblins.

Good thing her carriage hadn’t run into them. The horses were finally obeying her. The fairies helped her tame them. You should sing while you’re driving the carriage. That’s what the fairies said. It’s silly, but it works. But the carrot didn’t work! Magic works better!

Barren black fields

The horses rode on their own, even when Samantha wasn’t singing. If they stalled again, she’d have to sing to them again.

«Thank the fairies for all their advice!» Samantha muttered, moving from the goats into the cozy interior of the carriage. The velvet seat provided a place to sleep, which she did. It was still a full night and half a day’s ride to Ivilor. It would be possible to get some rest. And once she arrived, she would be in competition with the local socialites. Better not even think about that!

Samantha fell into a dream as she had various nightmares. Fairies’ claws were sliding on the wheel of a spinning wheel. Duchess Evangelina was talking to the fairies about something. You couldn’t tell if she was alive or a ghost. Evangelina was extorting from the spinning fairies a special thread that could be used to bind a demon. The fairies charged an unbelievable price, but they wouldn’t give up the job. And then the fairies and Evangelina disappeared. Some evil black creature clawed its way into the royal treasury. It looked suspiciously like the demon Samantha had seen on the road.

«I can’t stand maidens!» It wailed. «They always want to hurt me, poor thing! They’re all so brave as to offend the little ones! As soon as I, a poor little thing, get a favorable position in a new place, they swoop down like flies on honey. Don’t they realize I need a king more than they do? Serpin is my protector, my provider, my employer. And they want to steal him away and deprive me. I’ll kill them all!»

The hoarse voice broke into a furious hiss on the last sentence. Samantha flinched. Could the king really be the demon’s employer? What a demon’s job it was to turn the entire kingdom into a kind of hell!

As the black claws reached for her, Samantha woke up. No demon was there, of course. And the feeling was that he was still sitting in her carriage.

«I think my nerves are shot!» Samantha looked out of the carriage window. The familiar wooded area around the road had been replaced by apiaries. There were no beekeepers, but strange black bees hovered over the black honeycombs.

Samantha rubbed her eyes. What if she was dreaming? Behind the apiaries stretched barren black fields with black weeds and burdock. Suspicious-looking creatures rode through the thickets. Such animals Samantha had never seen in her life. They were not goats, sheep, or dogs. But they had twisted horns, hooves, and black wings like bats. One such creature stared at the carriage. Samantha hurriedly shut the window and sang, urging the horses to gallop faster.

The black, barren fields outside the window, where the evil spirits nested, reminded her of hell. Where could hell come from in Ivilor? Samantha had always thought Hell was underground, not on the surface of the earth. How could it be that a piece of hell had surfaced? It must be another nightmare.

The carriage suddenly stopped. The horses were frightened by a tiny creature that scurried under their hooves. It was the size of a gopher, but it had the aggression of an elephant.

«Look where you’re going!» It hissed angrily at the horses and Samantha.

It seemed to Samantha that the little creature wanted to fight her. For some reason she was afraid of it. Perhaps it was because she had already seen a small, stunted demon fight a tall lady named Evangelina.

The road on which the carriage was traveling lay between black fields. To the left of the road was an unusual scarecrow on a pole. Instead of button eyes, it glittered with two coins, and its pointed black hat resembled a witch’s.

Samantha was interested and stepped toward the scarecrow, almost stepping on another small creature that she mistook for a field mouse.

«Look where you’re going!» The creature hissed angrily and released a stream of red, glistening smoke in the girl’s direction. The smoke made Samantha cough. It seemed to be poisonous. She felt dizzy.

«Look up at the sky and the red spell will dissipate,» a husky male voice advised.

Samantha looked up and gasped. Had the scarecrow really spoken to her?

«The local invaders are like locusts,» the scarecrow suddenly nodded from the pole. It was really alive and moving. «You must know how to defend yourself against their charms. Otherwise you’ll end up like me.»

«Who are you?» Samantha looked obediently up at the sky, and the dizziness immediately disappeared.

«I am a former royal advisor.»

No way! The scarecrow must be playing a joke on her. It was clear from her shabby dress that she was a country girl. Samantha expected to be laughed at in the capital, but she didn’t expect even a scarecrow from the suburbs of Ivilor to tease her.

«You called these things invaders? Why is it?» – Samantha felt silly addressing some scarecrow as «you.»

It is because they occupied the fields of Ivilor, and look what happened to the crops. Since their arrival, there’s been barrenness everywhere. Nothing else will sprout from this land but magical grains and trees.»

«It’s a shame. I love watching the harvest and then separating the grain from the chaff. I would have helped with the farming myself, but my mother forbade me to do simple labor. She thinks ladies are only entitled to embroidery and music.»

«And she’s right!» The scarecrow nodded thoughtfully.

«How is it so?» Samantha didn’t expect the scarecrow to be so prim.

«But no one can see you now, and you can try to plant something in this field.»

«But I don’t have any seeds with me.»

«You dig a hole and put one of your amber earrings in it, and then see what sprouts from it,» the scarecrow’s amber eyes sparkled slyly.

«It is some other time. Thanks for the advice!»

Samantha was already regretting that she had spoken to the strange creature, which had been a scarecrow a minute ago and now looked strangely like a man crucified on a pole. She was not going to sacrifice her earring to please her companion. She had to leave before the creature on the pole demanded something even more absurd from her.

«Don’t be greedy!» The scarecrow said. «I, too, came here because I was greedy. I refused to give my diamond cufflinks to the new royal advisor, and he turned out to be a demon. And now I’m hanging here like a sack of straw! I’m pecked by crows and my arms and legs don’t move as if they were straw. Greed leads to disaster, but generosity, you’ll see, will be rewarded. I’ll let you in on a secret. On this field, even the smallest gemstone will grow a whole tree with gems on its branches.»

«Is it really?» Samantha didn’t believe it. «Tell me, where did those strange creatures come from in the fields? Has hell opened up beneath the fields?»

«The new royal advisor let them in here,» the scarecrow explained kindly.

«The royal advisor is tangling with the evil spirits! I can’t believe it. My mother would say you’re slandering an honorable man.»

«It’s not slander! The king’s new counselor is a demon himself!»

The scarecrow must have been speaking figuratively. Samantha couldn’t believe that the king’s advisor had been turned into a talking scarecrow by magic and replaced by a dexterous demon.

She wouldn’t have believed in talking scarecrows before, but now she saw one right under her nose. What should she believe now?

As Samantha thought, there was a rustle in the sky. Three beauties in black mourning dresses and with black wings descended to the edge of the field, but they did not dare to move forward, although they were obviously curious about what was going on. For some reason they were afraid to fly further over the field.

«They are grave fairies,» said the creature from the pole.

Samantha was surprised. She had heard of grave fairies. They usually lived in graveyards and sang funeral hymns at night. Whoever hears their voice will die soon, so travelers are wary of passing cemetery fences at night. For behind them dwell grave fairies. But what are grave fairies doing in an arable field? Are there corpses beneath the barren field? Otherwise the grave fairies wouldn’t have come here. They only come to graves or funerals, and sometimes to wakes.

The fairies were whispering like conspirators:

«These are the demon’s dead fields. He sows seeds of death or raises the dead to become his dead army,» the black fairies whispered. «One day they will go to war on the world of the living. And then Queen Luciferina will return!»

Samantha shuddered when she heard the name. Wasn’t it derived from Lucifer? If there is a female version of his name, then she guessed so. In this case, only the queen of hell could be called Luciferina. Looking out over the barren field, Samantha was ready to believe that hell was right underneath it. Better get out of here. What if the earth opened up right now?

«Wait, where are you going?» The tiny creature said. It had crawled out of the hole under the pole. «Will you donate us a coin for the advice of the scarecrow?»

«But it was it that gave me the advice, not you. By the way, how many of you are there in this field?»

«There’s a hell of a lot of us here, and if we don’t pretend to let our guard down, no local scarecrow will talk to you.»

«That is going to cost me a little.»

«Wait, I’ll let you in on a secret! If you plant a coin in this field, it will grow into a coin tree.»

Samantha wanted to test it. She found one coin in her pocket. She put it in the claws of the strange creature. It jumped for joy. Probably now its words would be a lie and it would run away, but the creature actually threw the coin on the ground. The coin immediately passed through the ground like a seed thrown into a hole. The ground shook, and the fairies became wary.

Under Samantha’s feet there was a tremor, and cracks ran through the ground. Was a giant about to crawl out of the ground and crush everyone? Instead, a black sprout appeared. It reached upward and grew into a tree.

«But it had no coins!» Samantha thought she’d been fooled. What if the branches were about to grow dragon teeth? But there was a soft clinking sound, and the black branches were covered with gold coins. Samantha didn’t look surprised, but picked as many as she could. Even if the coins turned into clods of earth or leaves along the way, at least she had tried to get rich.

The fairies flew to the tree.

«Stop it! You are thieves!» The inhabitant of the field screamed, but the fairies stripped the whole tree and flew away. Only one coin remained shining on the black branches.

«Perhaps I should share it with you,» Samantha decided. She offered the creature the apron in which she had placed the coins, but it waved it away. Why was it so proud? Had the coins in her hands gotten leprosy, or was the immortal creature afraid that the Earth girl might infect it with mortality?

After a moment, the ringing sounded again, and the tree again gave golden fruit, that is, coins. This is the thing! It is inexhaustible. The dweller of the fields didn’t want to share the gold only with the fairies. Apparently, those cheeky little things had been flying around the field for a long time, looking for an easy profit.

The creature jumped to the top of the tree and began stripping the coins from it, and Samantha hurried back to the carriage. She took off the apron full of coins and tied the ends into a knot, hiding the knot under the seat. Now she had funds for emergencies. Thanks to the black fields and their inhabitants!

Fairy’s dresses

Samantha arrived in Ivilor at sunset. The guards at the entrance to the palace let her through, but the ladies of the court laughed at her.

Such a turn of events was to be expected. The socialites saw a disheveled Samantha perched on the rumps, holding the reins ineffectively. The gossip became as loud as a choir. The hillbilly had come in a carriage that she drove herself, and she was humming along the way.

«People care about everything!» Samantha grumbled as she jumped down from the horses.

It was a good thing that the young stableman who ran up to her was polite. He took the horses away to be fed and cleaned. Samantha thought vindictively that now at least someone in the royal stables would have as much trouble with unruly horses as she did.

«Look at the look of surprise on her face! I bet she was going to take the horses to her bedroom for the night instead of the stall,» laughed one lady, who was covering herself with a fan. Samantha pretended not to hear her. She didn’t want to get into an argument with a whole crowd. You could argue with one lady, but you’d lose with most of them, of course.

«I’d like to have my own personal demon in Ivilor,» Samantha muttered to herself as she heard the snide comments. «There’s no one who can punish those faggots but a demon!»

She was wrong! All the ladies were silent at the sight of the King, who had just gone for a walk. The ladies, as if on cue, sat down in curtsy. The men bowed low. Only Samantha stood at attention. The king appeared so young and so handsome that her knees trembled. She could not curtsy. Thankfully, the young King Serpin paid no attention to the indelicacy. He was whispering something to a strange animal that was sitting on his shoulder. It seemed to be a monkey. But are monkeys ever coal-black in color? It must be some special breed from the tropical islands, where the sun is so hot that the locals’ skin and fur turn black. Samantha stopped at that assumption because the monkey didn’t bother her too much. The main thing worth looking at was the king himself. He had graceful facial features, golden eyebrows and eyelashes, blue eyes, and blond curls whose tips curled up to his collar. King Serpin was dressed luxuriously, but carelessly. The expensive velvet camisole was open at the neck, the crown was slightly off his forehead, and the fabric was torn at the shoulders as if someone had clawed at it. Still, the king was the cutest guy Samantha had ever seen.

As he walked past her, Serpin glanced at her torn dress and, instead of being dismissive, suddenly winked at her.

Just then, a disgruntled snort sounded from the king’s shoulder. It seemed that his majesty’s monkey was dissatisfied with something. King Serpin strode into the garden so quickly that Samantha didn’t have time to get a good look at the beast. He seemed to be in a hurry to take it to the orange grove where it could eat the fruit.

As soon as the king was out of sight, the court gossipers began gossiping about Samantha again:

«Look at how sloppily she’s dressed!»

«She has bad taste!»

«And what an old-fashioned dress is? My grandmother used to wear one of those.»

Samantha stuck up her chin and walked proudly past the gossipers. Let them keep on practicing their backbiting. They’d probably get their tongues twisted one day. Of course, it’s not good to wish bad things on people, but if people are bad…

The butler escorted Samantha to her chambers. From his demeanor and remarks, the girl thought that she was not welcome here and that her room was not the best, but that was fine with her. She was so tired from the road that she could have slept in the barn. It would have been a haystack, but there was even a soft bed with a featherbed. It’s a royal palace! Everything’s luxurious! But the people here are mean! She wished she could get a demon on all of them! It’s a pity she couldn’t have negotiated with him on the road. There was no turning back now.

Samantha strode to her apartment.

So the local ladies are making fun of her. You see, she’s not dressed to the hilt! Proud women! They’re the lucky ones in life, so they should be modest, but they’re going crazy. Their rich parents dressed them up like Christmas trees, and she had patches on her sleeves.

Samantha sighed.

«What are you sad about?» A beautiful blonde fairy appeared out of the darkness so suddenly that Samantha almost fainted.

«You’re not a dream?» She reached out her hand to the fairy’s face, which was scattered with golden freckles that sparkled like glitter.

«I am not a dream myself, but I slept briefly in your closet while I waited for you?»

So the fairy flew out of the closet? Is this closet special because fairies sleep in it?

«How did you settle in?» The fairy’s voice was like a tinkling silver bell.

«Not too well,» Samantha admitted honestly.

«I think the room is comfortable. The closet inside is lined with silk so the dresses won’t get dirty or wrinkled.»

«It’s about the dresses.»

«Don’t you have any?»

«Yes, but look at the state they’re in: worn, patched, shabby and unfashionable!»

«Are they?» The fairy blinked her golden lashes in surprise.

Samantha looked into her closet and aghast. Her dresses had been transformed. They were now outfits worthy of a queen. They were recognizable only by their colors.

«Is this really my closet?» Maybe the fairy was joking. What if it was her personal closet? Samantha had already prepared herself for the new dresses to fall apart or tear into threads as soon as she put them on, but nothing of the sort happened.

«I made this dress», the fairy took out a hanger, on which hung bright maple leaves, repeating the contours of the ball gown.

«Won’t it fall apart if you put it on?» Samantha wondered.

«It is absolutely not! This is the work of a fairy! A fairy’s work is never shoddy!»

«Why does a fairy care about my comfort? Did the King send you to help me?» Samantha had a flicker of hope. Did the King really like her? Only a king could give such a generous gift as a fairy maid!

«The king has nothing to do with it,» the fairy shook her blond head adorned with a wreath of rye ears and forget-me-nots. «I am an old friend of your father.»

«Good thing it’s not my mother’s! All my mom’s friends are gossipy bitches!»

«Oh! You don’t like Darline either!» The fairy clapped her hands together in joy. «Then you and I will get along! Darlina once drove the fairies off the estate and stole your father from me.»

«Did she? My father had a fairy fiancée?» Samantha almost clapped her hands in joy. She would have loved to have a fairy mother. After all, fairies could do such magic! You can dress up with them even with an empty purse! It’s worth it to have one fairy friend and there will be no trouble! A fairy will solve all problems with magic.

«Well, I wasn’t exactly a bride,» the fairy’s cheeks flushed, «but I liked your father very much. He was so serious, well-read, and very handsome.»

«Now my father wears glasses and doesn’t look too young and handsome.»

«That’s because he reads too much and studies hard sciences. I, on the other hand, was a windy person. My friends and I used to fly around the estate and make jokes about your father. Once we flew into the library and threw all his books around. We laughed as we threw the heavy volumes off the shelves and then danced among the mess, and then Benjamin caught us. He and I fell in love at first sight. I had planned for us to get married. The dwarf would perform the wedding ceremony and then I’d plant daisies on the estate, but Darlina came to the country. She stole Benjamin from me in a heartbeat! I tried to fight back, but the wicked girl invited the inquisitors to put protective markers on the manor. She banished the fairies, but I got to your cradle when the nursemaids were in the garden with you.»

«Did you put the mole on my shoulder?» Samantha guessed.

«It’s not a mole, it’s a protective mark.»

«Thank you. It helped me out.»

Only fairies can repay good for evil! What wonderful they are! What a pity her father didn’t marry a fairy! Samantha’s mom, as sad as it is to admit, was selfish.

«Did you want to avoid marrying a magical creature?» The fairy hesitated.

«Actually, no one offered me marriage.»

«You see, I made the mark out of meanness. I decided that if I am not destined to marry a mortal, let his daughter can never marry elves, nixes or other magical suitors. The mark of the fairy stands on you as a barrier to magical marriage.»

«But it scares away various magical creatures that want to harm me.»

«That’s a side effect! To make sure you don’t meet anyone.»

«Ah!» Samantha couldn’t believe it. Was the fairy really evil? «I’m still sorry my father didn’t marry you. If you were my mom, would I have been born blonde?»

«I guess so,» the fairy didn’t know. «Do you want to be blonde? I can dye your hair with magic right now.»

«No, you can’t!» Samantha was afraid that the fairy would make her gray instead of blond out of meanness. «Thank you for the dresses. I hope I don’t get a skin rash if I try them on.»

«You try them on!» The fairy’s sapphire eyes glittered dangerously.

At her own risk, Samantha tried them on. She felt like a queen in a dress with a high lace collar. A minute passed, but no skin rash, dizziness, consumption, or other side effects of fairy magic appeared.

«I wish I could steal Benjamin away from Darlina,» the fairy dreamed aloud.

«You do it! My father and I would appreciate it if my mother would stay alone in a crumbling manor and curse at the walls instead of us.»

«Your mom is so selfish! Apparently the gods of the forests and fields punished Benjamin for cheating on a fairy,» the winged beauty smiled smugly.

«My mother, too, likes to say that the gods punished her with a useless daughter and a lazy husband.»

«Well, she herself is not a saint. After all, she stole the fairy’s lover!»

«I also thought that the gods do not punish anyone for nothing!» Samantha concluded.

The blond fairy nodded.

«Elves and fairies were honored by the ancient gods once, when the earth was still young,» she explained.

«Then fairies and elves must have taken it upon themselves to punish people for their misdeeds?»

«I knew a vicious earl who had his wife kidnapped by elves.»

«Too bad the elves didn’t kidnap my mom. My father would have been over the moon, and so would I! I wouldn’t have to go to lvilor in that case.»

«Isn’t it luxurious here?»

«I was more comfortable at home on the estate.»

«Your estate brings back bad memories of love triangles. I don’t like to fly over it, probably because of the trauma I suffered there.»

«My mom also often says that fairy novels traumatize her and give her thoughts of eternally youthful rivals. If she gets her hands on a fairy book, Mom will burn it in the fireplace. She must have had a serious mental trauma after dealing with fairies, too.»

«That’s what’s wrong with love triangles – everyone thinks of themselves as victims,» the fairy said thoughtfully. «I’ll tell you the truth, the only real victim in all this is me – the fairy! Your mother poisoned my sense of love for people. I used to be kind to the people of your estate, but after I broke my engagement to a man, I began to crap on them in small things: I’ll pestilence the cattle, I’ll trample the crops with night dances, I’ll make the fruit on the trees rot. In general, everyone suffers from my fairy pranks. And Darlina is the only one to blame for my bad disposition towards humans!»

«I still wondered why my mother kept saying that my father and I were her punishment. But now I see that the gods don’t punish anyone for nothing. You shouldn’t have stolen the fairy’s fiancé. Then you wouldn’t have been punished.»

«Does mom dislike you so much?» The fairy looked at Samantha with sympathy.

«She says that I don’t see my own profit in anything! For mom, profit is the main thing in life, and I am always ready to give my portion of food to the hungry and refuse to meet important people just because they behaved cruelly. Well, I refuse to marry for convenience. I would never steal a stranger’s boyfriend, let alone a fiancé.»

«Apparently, the thirteen curses I provoked the road leprechaun with should have been addressed to your mother, not you,» the fairy sighed regretfully. «Alas, nothing can be undone!»

And it was the fairy’s fault! Samantha scolded herself for being gullible. You can’t consider a fairy kind just because she gave you a dozen beautiful dresses. Gifts can hide a series of curses and tricks.

«Well, I must go!» The fairy sent a kiss to the girl. «Don’t miss me!»

«Where are you in such a hurry?»

«Fairies aren’t allowed to stay long in the local castle. The king has a very nasty advisor.»

«He’s a wizard, so he can drive the fairies away?»

«It is even worse!»

«I wish I could meet him!»

«Don’t be a fool! You should stay away from him!»

The fairy flew to the window, which opened in front of her.

«Wait! I have a wish,» Samantha called her.

«Is it your birthday to make wishes?» The fairy raised her golden eyebrows in amazement.

Samantha stiffened and mumbled:

«No, but I thought since the fairy is here today, I should take advantage of it.»

«That makes sense! So what do you want?»

«Could you cast a spell on the king for me?»

«You’re so quiet. Turns out you’re just as vicious as Darlina.»

«No, I genuinely liked him.»

«He’s no match for fairy tricks.»

«Is it because of his advisor?» Samantha guessed.

The fairy nodded sadly.

«I would have bewitched Serpin myself, but the demon is on guard. You see, as soon as the king marries a fairy or a mortal girl, the demon will have to leave Ivilor forever.»

«I don’t understand!»

«You don’t have to understand! Take care of yourself!» The fairy sent a goodbye air kiss and flew out the window.

That’s a good thing to say – take care of you! The fairy said this just after casting thirteen curses and a magical defense against magical marriage on Samantha.

Samantha had heard that fairies were frivolous, but this kind of recklessness was over the top. If it weren’t for the new dresses she would have slammed the window shut and told the fairy not to fly in again.

A strange creature

As soon as the fairy flew away, Samantha woke up as if from a magical dream. She finally realized it.

If the fairy had put her mark on her, then she was enchanted! What a surprise! Samantha pulled her dress down off her shoulder and looked at the glistening mole. From the outside, the mark looked like a piece of jewelry, but if the inquisitors noticed it, they would suspect something wrong. Only the Inquisitors were nowhere to be seen in Ivilor, as if they had all disappeared into thin air. Perhaps young King Serpin doesn’t want to see their grim faces at court. Surely Serpin is cheerful and light-hearted. And he probably has tons of minions!

That last suggestion made Samantha sick. Jealousy pierced her heart with a red-hot needle. Had she fallen in love with the king? But she was no match for him! She was just a provincial girl, while Serpin was the ruler of a great and powerful country. He may be very young, but he must be treated with respect. After all, despite his youth, he holds the rulers of all neighboring states in fear.

Samantha herself did not notice that she had left her apartment. She stopped only when she came upon a large floor vase of gladioli. Oops, she thought these were already someone else’s quarters. Fortunately, their balcony overlooked the terrace, and from the terrace one could walk across to the night garden.

There was only one girl strolling through the royal garden at this late hour. Judging from the tiara in her hair, she was no less than a princess. Except that she looked disheveled and strange. Her once luxurious dress was torn in some places, with burdock thorns clinging to the hem. The princess was picking twigs from the ground and folding them into fanciful patterns, as if she were going to leave a coded message for someone.

«Florimonda still lives in this palace!» A familiar voice whispered in amazement behind Samantha’s back.

Samantha turned around. The same blonde fairy who had recently slept in her closet was swinging on a cypress branch like a swing.

«So you didn’t fly away!» Samantha rejoiced.

«I decided to see if there was anything edible in the royal garden. There used to be sweet peaches here.»

Now instead of peaches, there were briars and thorns everywhere. Maybe the fairy flew to the wrong part of the garden for fruit trees.

«And this girl is a princess?» Samantha pointed to Florimonda.

«Yes, she is a crazy princess,» the fairy nodded indifferently. «They say a demon put its claws into her brain and she went mad.»

«Is she Serpin’s sister? But he looks quite normal.»

«What a sister! Florimonda is an overseas princess who came to Ivilor to be Serpin’s bride, but it didn’t work out.»

«No wonder if she’s crazy. Who would marry a madwoman?»

«She wasn’t crazy when she came to lvilor.»

«How is it so?» Samantha wondered. She was sure that one was born crazy, not made crazy, but the fairy thought otherwise. According to her, Florimonda was driven mad by demons.

«Florimonda liked the young king very much,» the fairy said,«and he liked her, but the king has an advisor, a real demon, who does not want the king to marry. He has scared away the princess brides, or thrown them down into a ravine, or given them to demons. One crazy princess is still wandering the garden. Her father’s fleet was sunk by an imp who summoned water spirits. Yet somehow he couldn’t bring Florimonda herself down.

«You’re telling tall tales!» Samantha was indignant.

«Listen to her!»

Samantha listened. There was indeed a whisper.

«The water hands have pulled you to the bottom,» whispered the mad princess. «But I can hear you. You are still alive under the water.»

Florimonda was just leaning over the pond. If she’s really crazy, she’d better get out of the garden soon. There aren’t even any guards around. Samantha was afraid that the crazy princess would attack her, but she was stacking twigs on the surface of the pond. Instead of sinking, they floated on the surface, joining together in fanciful patterns.

Samantha walked down a path overgrown with weeds. The fairy didn’t fly after her. She herself only barely managed to find the doors leading back to the palace. In the evening the corridors of the palace were deserted. Where had all the gossipers who had teased Samantha during the day gone? It was instantly calmer without them. Except for some reason the silence was a little frightening. Samantha looked around for the guards with halberds. They were supposed to stand at every door in the enfilade, but there were no guards.

Samantha walked forward until she came upon closed doors. From behind the doors came a low murmur, which was suddenly cut off by an angry grumbling voice:

«Without me you are nothing! Remember that! If you want everyone around you to think of you as a mighty ruler and tremble before you, you need me! Who will sink enemy armadas for you? Who will defeat foreign armies while you sit peacefully on your throne? Who will catch all the spies and wipe out all the conspirators? You can’t do it all yourself!»

«But I’m grateful to you! Why are you sulking?» The pleasant voice replied carefree. Somehow Samantha thought that it was exactly what King Serpin’s voice should be: beautiful, kind and gentle. She cautiously opened the door and made sure she was not mistaken. In a spacious, semi-dark hall draped in velvet draperies stood Serpin. His bright blond hair stood out against the gloom. A few candelabras flickered only somewhere behind him. It seemed as if stray lights, rather than candles, had been inserted into the holes.

What was Serpin doing here alone at this late hour? Where are the king’s bodyguards? The king doesn’t think he’s invulnerable. Serpin looks carefree and seems to be playing at something. Or is he playing with someone?

Samantha opened the door wide and watched the king squeeze either a skinny black cat or a black monkey. Where was the king’s strange grumpy interlocutor? He probably hid behind the draperies or was not there at all. The king was spending time with his tailed pet, who, of course, couldn’t talk.

«You are my dear little one!» Serpin wailed over the animal.

Does he really adore such a freak? Samantha marveled at the king’s quirks. How was he not afraid to have such a horrible clawed pet? She didn’t even know the name of such a terrifying beast, but it looked like a demon with a black tail, horns, and spikes on its spine. And the royal pet’s eyes burned like two red coals. Samantha became frightened as she intercepted the predatory gaze. In another moment, the pet jumped from the king’s arms and deftly climbed up the curtain. At the ceiling it disappeared as if it had never been there. Samantha thought she had imagined it.

«You scared him away!» The king was furious until he saw who stood before him. He had a weakness for beautiful ladies. In a dress transformed by a fairy, Samantha was a real beauty.

«Ah, a lady from the provinces…» King Serpin took a long, appraising look at her figure and was satisfied. «What a lovely provincial violet!»

«Samantha,» she reminded him. Suddenly everyone who expected her at court had forgotten her name. And even more so, the governor was not to be informed about her. After all, who was this Lady Samantha from the remote province of Ivilor? Even the mad Princess Florimonda would probably be of more interest to the court.

«Yes, Samantha,» the king walked around the girl and examined her back as if he were looking for wings.

«I’m a lady, not a fairy,» Samantha joked.

«Yes, definitely not a fairy,» the king nodded, «fairies usually have corset lacing bursting from the wings hidden under the fabric.»

Samantha almost fainted. What a joke the king was making! He embarrassed her. It was one thing to compare her to a violet, for she wore a violet-colored dress, but it was quite another to suspect her of being a fairy.

«In the province where I live, they catch fairies and cut off their wings,» Samantha remembered the old stories.

«What a bunch of animals they are!» Serpin was genuinely indignant. «We should send the auditors to them. Let them clean up the mess.»

A royal emissary was in the province recently. He had persuaded Samantha’s parents to send their daughter to court in search of a powerful groom. If the emissary had not been married, the fussy mother would probably have married Samantha to him without asking her daughter’s consent. For the mother was the main thing that the daughter did not remain an old maid. And the father, always disappeared in the family library, did not worry about anything at all. For some reason, the royal emissary was visiting Samantha’s father. Why, Samantha never understood. It seemed to be about some kind of danger to the young king. It couldn’t have come from a creepy animal climbing around the palace. Or is it from fairies? Apparently, Serpin is familiar with fairies, if fairies exist.

«Fairies haven’t come to our land for a long time,» Samantha hastened to reassure him.

«They haven’t come to me for a long time, either,» Serpin grumbled resentfully. «I guess it’s the animals from your province. They frightened all my fairies.»

An obnoxious giggle sounded from the ceiling. If that was what scared all the fairies away, Samantha wouldn’t be surprised. The sound made her want to run as far away from the king as possible. The giggling voice seemed to follow Serpin.

«The Mind!» Serpin looked up.

«What do you mean?» Samantha didn’t understand. «Did I say something unreasonable?»

The same clawed beast was swinging on the chandelier under the ceiling. A moment later, it was gone. It couldn’t have shown itself to her a second time, could it? Samantha felt as if she were going mad. She had been warned that life at court would be difficult, but not this difficult! She sees little black demons everywhere. They are also favored by the king.

Serpin blew a kiss to the empty ceiling.

«Do you see fairies up there?» Samantha marveled.

«No, do you?» Serpin was embarrassed and gave the girl a disarming smile.

«Then what’s under the ceiling?»

«The fairies are no longer there, but they used to come here in droves. Such beauties!»

Samantha felt a burning jealousy.

«But something scared them away. Or someone had scared them off. We must ask the Mind who?»

Laughter came from the ceiling again.

Samantha didn’t understand the king’s last words.

«You’re pretty as a fairy, too,» the king complimented her.

This time a chandelier pendant flew from the ceiling and hit Samantha’s forehead. Now there will be a bruise! The crystal pendant that fell to the floor was covered in blood. Blood flowed from Samantha’s cut temple.

«The Mind!» The king’s exclamation now sounded like a curse.

From above, laughter resounded again.

«What’s up there?»

«Nothing much,» the king handed her his handkerchief.

«What a horror!» Samantha rushed to the mirror shimmering in the partition between the draperies. «Is it going to bruise? My bruises don’t last that long! The last time I fell off a horse, I was bruised for more than a month. All the neighbors laughed at me, assuming someone had beaten me.»

Stop! Her tongue is her enemy! How can she tell the king about her blunders? He’s not her buddy from the village, he’s the real monarch! It doesn’t matter that he looks the same age as the stable boys. He is the king, period! He must be treated with respect.

«Excuse me for talking,» Samantha looked back at Serpin, but he had already left.

Somehow she felt sad that he had left her alone so suddenly. They’d been having such a nice conversation. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said too much. There was a reason her mother had hired a teacher of manners, but she had never learned good manners.

Samantha wiped the blood from her forehead and wondered if the court healer could treat bruises. In the mirror behind her, an eerie black silhouette suddenly appeared. It vanished so quickly that it looked like a play of light and shadow.

The draperies were covered with intricate symbols in the shape of five-pointed stars, circles, and horns. How like the sorcerer’s symbols Samantha had once seen in a beginner’s magic manual she’d accidentally found on the top shelf of the family library. The symbols looked appropriate there, but where did they come from in the royal palace? Did anyone do magic here? She must have imagined it.

Her wounded forehead ached unbearably. Who would have thought a chandelier pendant could hurt so badly? The handkerchief was soaked with blood.

The King was gone, but the handkerchief remained. Samantha unfolded it and noticed the king’s initials embroidered in gold thread in the corner. S.I.R. The first two letters made sense. Samantha could decipher them. The first initial stands for Serpin and the second for Ivilor. So it’s Serpin of lvilor. But where did the letter R come from? Surely it doesn’t belong to the dynasty of Ivilor? Whose initial is it, then?

The king’s handkerchief

Now she had a souvenir from the king. Samantha returned to her room and pressed the handkerchief to her lips. Besides blood, it smelled of nice cologne.

Since it was impossible to get the king himself into her arms, she could take comfort in his handkerchief. It was unlikely that the king would demand back so little as a handkerchief. Samantha can keep it as a memento of a wonderful moment. Being alone with Serpin was so pleasant. Even in the darkness, the young king resembled a ray of sunshine. Only the black monkey spoiled the whole impression.

Samantha wondered where to hide the handkerchief. It had become something of a relic to her. She hid the bundle of coins in the closet among her dresses. The coins, strangely enough, did not turn into clods of earth, nor into dry leaves. They remained gold coins! So, it is indeed possible to grow gold and jewels in the black fields. Only bread does not grow on them, but a magical tree with coins or diamonds on the branches will grow easily.

«I hope the demons from the field won’t make me pay for this wealth with my own blood!» Samantha sighed.

She had already decided that if she didn’t find a suitable suitor, she would spend the coins on a house in the capital of Ivilor or a farm in its suburbs. She didn’t want to go back home to her parents. Her father was a good man, but she could not bear her mother’s whims any longer. If Samantha couldn’t marry favorably, her ambitious mother would reprimand her every day. Therefore, it is better not to spoil her nerves and do not go back to the native estate. Let the dwarf king settle there. He and Samantha’s father would probably become friends and find common topics of conversation at night.

The coins in the bundle were enough to buy a decent house and live well into old age. And if she went to that marvelous field again, she could get rich. Samantha wished she had planted an amber earring or even a diamond ring in the black field. Then she’d have a whole bag of gems right now. Ivilor’s jewelers were willing to pay a good price for large gemstones. Samantha had loved haggling with them when she pawned the jewelry she had inherited from her great-grandmother. Alas, her family estate had fallen into such disrepair that some of the rarities in the family collection had to be parted with. That’s not surprising! After all, while his father sat in the library and engaged in science, mom spent money left and right.

«Probably the best thing would be if my mother were a fairy,» Samantha thought aloud. «One can only dream of a magical mother! What a pity my father didn’t choose a fairy as his wife!»

«Don’t regret it, sweetie! Fairies are scum!» hissed a husky, nasal voice from somewhere above.

Samantha shuddered. It seemed to be the same voice she had heard before near the king. It was unpleasant and malicious, as if coming from hell.

A paw with black claws reached for the king’s handkerchief left on the dressing table.

«Give it back! That’s mine!» Samantha cried out, but the demonic creature’s paw slipped into the darkness, taking the priceless handkerchief with it.

«You are thief!»

Samantha feared incurring the demon’s wrath, but screamed and cried anyway. The vanished handkerchief seemed to symbolize that she could not have Serpin. It was nothing to even dream about!

Curious, where did the demon’s paw come from? Could it have come straight from the round mirror on the dressing table? Samantha tapped on it. The mirror, as it turned out, was rotating and spinning vigorously. It seemed to reflect some kind of horror.

The window shutter creaked. It seemed that some black animal had scurried across the window sill with a crumpled royal handkerchief in its paws. Samantha rushed to the window. Alas, there was a tall chestnut tree outside the window. The animal had jumped right onto its branches. Now we’d have to catch it in the garden. At least everything was back to normal. There was no demon in her bedroom. The handkerchief was stolen by a stupid monkey.

«Well, I’ll show it!» Samantha ran into the garden, forgetting the risk of running into the crazy princess. «How could anyone be such a thief? Even a monkey who was put in the royal palace needs to have some manners!»

The monkey didn’t hear her. There was no one in the garden except squirrels and peacocks. Even Florimonda had gone somewhere. Samantha examined the chestnut tree that grew just below her window. The fluff was falling from it, but there was no monkey in the branches.

«Would you like a chestnut fruit?» A squeaky voice came from behind her.

Samantha turned around and shrieked. A green face with bulging yellow eyes was staring back at her. It was exactly how swamp witches were described. Except it’s not every night you meet a swamp witch where there is no swamp. Samantha looked back at the pond. The witch must have gotten into the castle through it. Swamp slime dripped from her green rags and stained the edge of the pond green.

«And you look like a fairy!» A hooked hand with green claws reached for the girl’s face. Samantha recoiled in fear. She knew that swamp witches could give her dangerous swamp fever, which turned her skin green and made her hair and teeth fall out.

«Just don’t touch me!»

«Don’t worry!» The witch took her hand away resentfully. «I came to collect old debts from the king, not from you.»

«Did the young King Serpin owe you a debt?»

«Actually, it wasn’t him who owed me, but his late father,» the witch confessed with embarrassment, «but I thought that since his son was doing well, I might as well remember the debt.»

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