Silver Blood

Gilbars managed to jump aside when the ground beneath him opened up like a hellish abyss. In two swift leaps, he flew up to the treetops and hid among the branches. He saw nothing but his target, and his face was lit up with a smile full of anticipation of revenge. The spell that escaped his lips was like lightning, and he rushed straight towards his victim. However, to his amazement, nothing happened. Perplexed by such an unexpected turn of events, Gilbars almost lost his balance, but managed to maintain his composure and land on his feet. - Huh? Gilbars could not resist and simply kicked the kitten in the butt. He only laughed. A small brown kitten, more solid than his brother at the same age, but no less agile, with the same blue eyes as the gray teenager. - Zagber, pull yourself together! — He folded his arms across his chest. — Well, I got distracted, lost in thought, — the boy smiled charmingly. — Nothing happened. — It did! You’re very lucky that magic doesn’t work on creatures dumber than a snail. Stupid! He was not telling the whole story. Gilbars had always realized that his younger brother Zagber had no less talent in this area. However, the cat believed that he should not yet reveal the most reliable method of protection against magical influences — “mind cleansing.” Before resorting to this method, Zagber should learn to properly protect himself without it. — You’re a fool! The offended boy pounced on his older brother with frivolous cries. Gil, teasing the kitten, rushed towards their summit. The echo of children’s laughter rang between the steep cliffs. It was surprising that the Torikiri Mountains did not collapse under the onslaught of their games. They reached the house without any problems. It had once been a temple, but there was no one else there, which was the reason for them to stop here. Bells jingled and protective talismans rustled in the wind. A mountain river flowed nearby, and a narrow waterfall towered over it. The cold water sparkled magically in the sun. The boys forgot about their argument, refreshed themselves under the waterfall, dried themselves in the wind and happily entered the house. Inside, they were met by an ascetic room that seemed uninhabited and slightly dilapidated. The only more or less valuable objects here were books, neatly stacked in their places. Gilbars, having come down from heaven to earth, sighed deeply. “I’m hungry,” his younger brother announced to him. Gilbars patted him between the ears. “I’m going fishing now, and you’ll be patient. And anyway, have you read about demons?” The kitten threw back its head and let out a sad squeak. Gil leaned towards it, looking intently into its eyes. - It is necessary, Zag. There are even pictures, so be thankful that it is not that scroll. “That scroll” was what they called a large roll that even Gilbars had difficulty with. Zagber saw it, and so he winced. - Okay, — he drawled and slapped his way to the shelves. Gilbars looked at his annoyed brother with a smile and, picking up the nets, headed for the exit. Finally, he checked their connection, so as not to worry again. Now that his untrained brother was not dangling under his feet, he could float freely in the air. With the help of a magic spell, he caught a large leaf brought by a gust of wind, and, jumping up, stepped on it. His path should not take long. As he flew over the mountain peaks, he noticed that the sky was beginning to darken, but he did not attach much importance to it. Meanwhile, the mountain under Zagber shook again. The kitten honestly tried to create some kind of protection from the demon, as it was written in the book, but again he did nothing but explode. Zag pouted, looking at the pages of the book, as if it was their fault. He was not worried about the safety of the yard — it was far from home, and the mountains had seen more than one novice mage. Gilbars told him that their ancestors also tested them, and nothing happened. The older brother also tried to convince him that it was better to read everything first before practicing, but Zagber found it easier to read a little before training again. He wanted to become as powerful as Gil as soon as possible. If he were like that, then nothing would be scary for him, and he would be able to go out into the world and even see the wonders of the world. After another failure, Zagber threw the book away and sat down on the ground. Perhaps because of hunger or bad weather, but he was not succeeding at all. He nervously twitched his ears, feeling the increasing wind. The sounds, the distant anxious ringing and rustling, only confirmed that he was alone. Zagber did not know if there were others like them beyond the mountains, because for some reason his brother always spoke as if everyone around him were strangers and dangerous. The sky suddenly darkened. Zagber wrinkled his nose in displeasure and trudged into the house to light a candle there. It seemed that night had come prematurely. “So that’s what you are, silver-blooded.” The barking voice rang out suddenly. Zagber turned around. The kitten wanted to back away, but something held him in place. He did not understand who was in front of him, and tried hard to understand: an elongated face, such as he had never seen, narrow eyes. The stranger looked a little like a cat, like him and his brother, but Zagber doubted it. — Ah, it’s just a kitten, — the beast bared his teeth. — Learning magic… Do you want to work for me? We’ll be a good team. - No! — the boy stuck his tongue out at him, smiling with his eyes. He was smarter than to listen to a random stranger. Unfortunately, this angered the stranger, and he waved his hand. Strange stems covered the stranger’s body and face, frightening the kitten. - Then disappear from my sight! The fog hit Zagber, he only had time to turn around and try to run into the house. The next thing he felt was a burning cold. Not like on the top of the mountain. He hugged himself, shivering. The kitten looked around. He saw only pictures of cities, but he recognized one of them, although the houses seemed different. Stone and tall, gray. The sky was thickly covered with clouds, hiding from the sun and the moon. There was snow all around, but he didn’t feel like he was on a mountain. The wind howled between the streets, and he was becoming increasingly terrified.

***

The temple was burning. Gilbars immediately checked on his brother. The thin thread of communication was painful, but Zag seemed unharmed. Just very, very scared. Gil called him, looking around for danger. “Here comes the mentor,” someone giggled. Gil drew his sword with a sharp movement. He had never seen a fox in real life, but he recognized one of them right away. The stranger grinned too arrogantly for this to end well. “Where is my brother?” “Far from here,” the fox purred. “Try to find him. Although, it is unlikely that he will live to see that moment.” Gil hissed and rushed at the sorcerer, but he disappeared into the mist under his blade. All that was left in the air was barking laughter and the remnants of a strong aura.

***

The townspeople were like that sorcerer — with long muzzles, barking — but not at all like him and his brother. In addition, they were angry. Zagber wanted to just ask for directions, but they growled at him. A few moments later, he was thrown off the threshold. The kitten was strong, but he still did not like it. Zag found something like a cloak in the trash, and it somehow saved him from the cold. He had never seen so many inhabitants in one place. They spoke a strange language and behaved strangely. Zagber saw two arguing, standing over boxes of bread. He thought they were called counters. Zag rarely saw bread, Gilbars brought it once, as a curiosity, and it tasted so-so. But there was a lot of it here, and the kitten was hungry. They grabbed his hand as he reached for the bread and hit him in the face. Zagber got angry. He tore himself away and swung his hand. The ground opened up. The counter shattered under the pressure of fire and earth. The nearest house was also hit. The stonework shattered, crashing down on the people around. Everyone ran away in terror. Zagber realized that the two of them were probably hurt. The big loud one barked, pointing at him. This scared Zag, but not more than what happened next. Everyone who could grabbed pitchforks and similar tools, and the crowd went for him. Zagber jumped onto the roof and ran away. The kitten could hardly hold back his tears. Now he understood why his brother kept him away from people. Magic could hurt them, and they were ready to defend themselves. He couldn’t fully comprehend what had happened, but Zag decided it wasn’t worth it. He needed to wait for Gilbars. Only his older brother could help him.

***

“Do you feel how he suffers?” the sorcerer’s laughter haunted Gilbars. “Maybe you want to bring him back, for example, by sharing the secret of your strength?” “Never!” Gil roared, jumping through the jungle. His blue eyes were burning. He wanted to stop, to kill the fox on the spot, but he was not strong enough. In addition, he needed to hurry. The connection was still tense, but the fox did not hint at how far he had sent Zagber. His brother was getting weaker every day, getting injured, but Gil could do nothing about it.

***

Days and weeks passed. The locals continued to hunt him. He did not know the area, but in the dark alleys they did not notice him. Zagber finally found bread, for which he did not have to fight. He wasn’t sure if the bread was supposed to have those spots, and it was much harder than he remembered, but at the time it seemed bearable. He even managed to wash it down with a puddle of melted snow from a stream. He also managed to stretch the loot out over several days, and then find more. For a while, he felt more full, although not satiated. His strength was fading rapidly, his clothes were already hanging off him like a skeleton. But then his stomach began to hurt. Zag felt sick, the bile seemed wrong, pink. Walking was becoming more and more difficult because of the pain. There were no tears, he just wanted to hold on until his brother found him. But waiting was becoming more and more difficult for him with each passing day. He continued to cling to life, but even thinking about his brother was difficult. The fog was increasingly enveloping his mind, but Zag tried not to lose consciousness. Wandering along an empty night street, he saw a light. The smell of food, fresh fish, seemed poison to him, but a welcome poison. He looked up at the fishmonger. He tries to climb the steps, but the owner abruptly closes the door right in his face. Zaghber falls to his knees and lies down. He could no longer stand. The cold penetrated under his thin wool, and the old rag no longer saved him. He thought of tall trees, emerald greenery and sun. Turquoise lakes full of fish, eternal spring. It was like that at home. Take what you want, live for your own pleasure. He clung to these thoughts, falling deeper and deeper into the darkness.

***

The flight across the ocean was swift. The fox spoke to him, made him look for his brother on Yonezaad. It took up precious time. Now he was surrounded by an endless expanse, the only reference point in which for him was communication. Halfway through, he turned abruptly. Without changing his expression, he found an uninhabited, lonely island. Landing on it with the wind, he sighed. There was no more communication. Zagber was dead. Gilbars released his power, and the entire island was covered in fire.

***

Gilbars spent a hundred years trying to figure out all of the Fox's weaknesses. His strange magic turned out to be surprisingly difficult to deal with, even though the cat grew stronger with each passing year. However, after that, tracking seemed to be the hardest part. He could have spent another hundred years searching for the sorcerer, but by pure chance, he came across a dead body with remnants of the sorcerer's power in the mountains near Atagoal. The Fox had taken the form of a man, of which there were many in the forest. The human boys and the cat brought him to the sorcerer without question, and Gilbars took revenge before their eyes. This would have been reckless, if the sorcerer had not taken his true form before his death. The locals had already managed to harbor a grudge against the lamp seller, which the fox pretended to be, and all that was left was to help in small ways so that the remnants of mistrust would dissolve. The clouds that had hidden the moonlight now lay low on the ground, like an illusion of shallow water, and the sister of one of the boys could calmly recover. Revenge for his brother left behind only a little emptiness. Gilbars did not remember his name, what the boy's character was, his habits, or even the color of his fur. The cat did not feel remorse about this. After so many years, his brother should have been successfully reborn into a new, probably happier life. But during all this time, Gilbars found his path. And on his path there was a new goal - to stop the Witch with the same silver blood as his, from the prophecy. Nothing should stop him. Somewhere in the forest, a fat yellow cat sneezed.