If an earthquake collapses the castle, if her life is in mortal danger, Eleseum will take Miriel. She will be free to go back to her parents and Dale herself. She should pray that her prison will collapse!
This thought makes it look like a huge tiger claw has scratched her soul. Does she really want the castle to fall down and bury her captors under her? Does she wish them dead - Darschele, Mephalo, Codorro? No. Even Arelato and Orshava, no matter how mean they are to her.
A new thought dawned on Miri: it can help! What if somebody can't get out from under the rubble? She ran to the door again and stabbed her in the door. And then she put her hands down, unclenched her fists. Who can't?
All of them are magicians. Darschela said they had been living here for fourteen years. This is hardly the first earthquake in all the years. There would be someone to worry about. Everyone here will be able to protect themselves. They must have come up with something.
Miri stood at the door for a minute. Fixed, silent among the trembling walls and jumping furniture. What kind of demon? She was so tired of twitching and worrying. For everyone - for relatives, for strangers...
Yes, she is a fairy. Immortal, invulnerable. She won't get sick, she can't be killed or hurt. She has nothing to fear. But otherwise she feels and worries exactly like people. She is not an insensitive puppet and not a dense spirit. She gets hurt, she gets tired, angry and sad. And now she is very tired and angry. So that she was tired of being angry.
To demons! To demons - earthquake, to demons - kidnapping! Miri came up to the bouncing bed. She pulled a blanket with a pillow, threw it on the floor, lay down, wrapped herself in a thick cozy cocoon and closed her eyes. Let the whole world roll in tartarars. She will rest.
In the middle of a shaking room Miri forgot her sleep.
When she woke up, there was silence. All the furniture, all the things in their places, as if someone had cleaned the room while the fairy was sleeping. Or there was no earthquake. Maybe it was just a dream for Miriel?
She came out of the woolen cocoon and reached for it. She felt asleep, refreshed. She went into the bathroom. There was also a perfect order. Cleaning or dreaming?! Miri didn't think for a long time, let the water run, plunged into a fast one, put on a blue dress.
Looking in the mirror, I thought that it would be good to add even more decent clothes to the conceived requirements. She won't be able to wear one dress all the time. But she won't wear the rest of the wardrobe anyway!
Mirielle was impatiently walking around the room, waiting for Mephalo. But no one came. She was threshing at the door - the same reaction. Maybe the castle did fall in the night earthquake? Only the prisoner's cell remained intact, and all Randu died? But who cleaned up her bedroom?
Miri was lost in guesswork and loitering for over an hour. And then finally came Mefalo, ready to lead the girl through the corridor-tunnel. Miri tried to ask her what had happened at night, but the words she had learned were enough.
But Mefalo used gestures to scold the fairy for a blanket on the floor. She agilely picked him up from the floor, laid him back on the bed, returned the pillow. Turned to the fairy, made a reproachful face and threatened him with a finger. Miri sprayed.
The way from the bedroom to the stone terrace at Nilgari Falls seemed to her almost native. The autumn sun was at its zenith. The kidnapper was late for breakfast...
Arelato met her with a gallant bow and velvet "Good morning, Miriel! - with a terrible accent. His face was stuck out, and dark circles were lying under his eyes. Miri answered:
- Good morning. Or is it already a good afternoon? What was going on at night?
Arelato sighed.
"Let's have breakfast first. It's not an easy story. And I don't have much energy left to tell it mentally, without words. Let me just sit with you today and have breakfast, Miriel.
Miri looked at the kidnapper in a confused way. This is something new... She hardly recognized him - exhausted, devoid of cocky confidence. Silently, without questions or objections, she allowed Arelato to carry herself to a table.
Also, in silence, both started to eat. Miri was picking vegetable stew without much appetite. At the edge of her eye she noticed pieces of meat in a plate of Arelato. She herself had never served meat to Randu - so the thief knew that the fairies did not take the animal food and pleased her needs. And she already thought that all Merkan wizards do not eat meat...
Having finished with breakfast, Arelato put the plate aside and looked at Miri. Thinking, evaluating. Somehow she felt uncomfortable. Mental speech has plunged into Miri's consciousness with a light cool breeze.
"We have not left the walls of our castle for fourteen years. Randu is under siege, Miriel. The enemy order is trying to destroy us.
- Doramon? - broke out at Miri's before she had time to shut her mouth.
Black eyes are dangerously bruised.
"Who told you?