Part 16
Dedicated to Y. E. Zhigulsky
1
News
Nikto, Prince Arel, Vitor Kors, Lis, Karina and habir Verniy returned to the Fort from the Limit. They entered the main chamber of the tower, and Tol, who was sitting at the table with Dick Nedwill, jumped up joyfully, knocking over the jug, which, fortunately, was already empty.
“How glad I am to see you!” He shouted. “Finally! I already miss you!”
He ran up to them heavily, raking Lis into an armful:
“Al! Has Nik cured you?”
“Yes,” said Lis somehow not very cheerfully, gently pushing tall and powerful Tol away from him.
“Great!” Tol didn’t catch the tension and joyless mood of his friend, froze for a moment:
“Al, what’s with your head?! What's with your hair?”
“I made it darker,” Nikto answered for Lis, seeing that he was not at all inclined to chat with Tol. Nikto removed the mask to reveal his painted face, and Tol froze, staring at him. Kors saw that at first blatant surprise flashed in Tol’s eyes, but very quickly it was again replaced by joyful delight:
“Nik, bugger me! What the war paint! Ten out of ten! I barely recognized you!”
Nikto laughed, showing black teeth and a shiny ring resting on them.
“Nik! How did you hook the ring to your teeth?!” Tol roared with delight. “I want such one too!”
“I'll show you later, okay? There under the upper lip there is a place where to hook it,” Nikto smiled.
Kors also took off his mask, in the end, he shouldn't have been embarrassed by Tol and his commoner assistant, who had the nickname Coal. Tol immediately glanced at his jewelry and the hook that wrapped around his chin. Kors clearly understood that Tol liked it very much, but he was ashamed to voice it and turn to Kors. He still considered Kors a stranger, not one of them, and was wary of him.
“Let's drink to your return!” Tol began to pour wine into mismatched and not very clean goblets and glasses piled on the table. The first goblet, apparently out of old habit, he handed to Prince Arel, who silently, without changing his haughty expression, took it. Then, according to the rules of etiquette, Tol handed the cup to the lady, Karina.
