3

Lichen jumped out of bed, sweating. He panted, terrified by what he'd dreamed. He saw a black wind, followed by fire and death. It entered the city and wiped everyone out in an instant. Women, old men, men, and soldiers alike were dropping like flies. Children shriveled and withered like dead fruit. He saw Amm dying, and he could do nothing.

Amm lay right next to him. The blanket bulged with the rhythm of her breathing in the place in her womb where their child was growing. Soon she would give birth, he would be a father. He smiled to himself. He hadn't known it was possible to be so happy. It was a miracle.

He heard the echo of running in the corridor. The palace was waking up. Someone shouted something incomprehensible. Poroz opened the door and looked out. A servant was running, and he stopped him.

"What's going on? What's that noise?"

"Sir, the flags are burning!" The servant broke free and ran on.

Lichen made a connection. The tendrils would ignite when the enemy from the north arrived. So war was approaching. A chill ran down his spine. A dream flashed before his eyes. No, it was only a dream. He tried to calm himself. He went to the window, opened the shutters, and looked out into the snow-lit darkness. The city was waking up with torchlight and, as if animated, was climbing the walls. A harsh, northerly wind was blowing, which didn't indicate the vernal equinox was near. Lichen held his breath. Equinox. The words of the specter in the crypt:

Beware the breath of the north's mouth,

which at the approach of the equinox

with fire, death, and fear will enter

, surprising the innocent with it.

His sleep...

"Oh Mother..." he whispered in terror.

"What's happening?" Amm asked, awakened by the noise and cold. "Why did you open the window? It's cold here." Amm didn't hear Lichen's answer, so she went over and embraced him, wrapping him in a blanket. He was tense.

"What's wrong, my love?" she asked in a warm, concerned voice.

"Mother... not that." A warm tear rolled down his cheek and landed on Amm's hand.

***

The throne room was full of bustle. Everyone was waiting for the royal couple. All the commanders and important figures of Praag were gathered here. Dadric and several other elders were present. Porost stood silently beside Amm, at the side of the throne. The bronze gates opened, and the guard announced the king's arrival. Everyone rose as the king walked with the queen along the red carpet to the throne. Zoltan donned his golden, full armor with the Rasaganov coat of arms on the chest. He also donned a crown, and over his shoulders he wore a long, fur cloak embroidered with precious stones, which trailed across the red carpet. He walked confidently and almost majestically, as if he were about to be crowned. A sword gleamed in an ornate scabbard at his side. He looked ready for battle. He sat on the throne and announced in a booming voice that carried through the white marble throne room. "

We face a great threat. The Army of Chaos approaches, seeking to destroy us. We will defend the city, and the walls of Praag will hold. We will prevail!" The ruler's voice echoed in the silence of the hall.

"Sir?" The representative of the townspeople, one of the wealthiest merchants, timidly broke the silence. "And what about the women and children? Will they fight too?"

Zoltan looked contemptuously at the fat merchant, who could feed a large family for a week with his fat. The king knew there were many such cowards in the city.

"Yes," he said lazily, "the women and children will remain safely behind the walls. They won't fight at all, they will help.

" "Sir," Captain Reiganov interjected, "if the siege lasts much longer, which is very likely given the size of this army, there won't be enough food with so many men." Sir, with the barest minimum of our best defenses, meaning if all the men defended the city, we would only have enough supplies to last us for six months. I'm not talking about the animals, which would die without food.

"Reinforcements will arrive by then, Captain," the king interrupted. "The Tsar will send troops to support us. He won't forget us. Besides, we've been preparing for this war for a long time.

" "That's true, but my lord, the Tsar is at war with the invaders from the World's Edge Mountains. How many men will he send? Ten? Twenty thousand? According to the scouts, their vanguard numbered twenty thousand. We must prepare, ladies, for a long siege..."

"Or abandon the city," the merchant interjected.

The ruler leaped from his throne, ran down the steps, and clobbered the fat man over the head with an iron gauntlet. He covered himself with his robes and fell unconscious.

"I will not abandon Praag again!" Zoltan shouted. "I will not allow them to enter here again and defile this land! I will not burn Praag again! Even if I have to starve like a dog at the gate, I will never abandon this throne!" We didn't build walls stronger than those in the capital just to tuck our tails and flee. To chicken out again! The ruler panted with anger. Silence fell, as no one dared speak. No one wanted to inflict more venom on King Zoltan. The king sat on the throne. He hunched over as if all of Praag suddenly rested on his shoulders. After a long moment, he said in a tired, quiet voice. "

Women and children up to thirteen years of age will begin marching to the capital tomorrow. The rest of the men will be armed and will fight." The ruler stood and slowly descended the stairs, not looking anyone in the eye, and left the chamber.

Porost caught up with Dadric in the hall.

"Can we talk?" Porost asked timidly. "

Speak quickly, I don't have time," Dadric replied impatiently.

"Not here. Can we in your chamber? It's important."

Dadric hesitated, but waved his hand.

"Come," the king's advisor said.

Dadric's office was located in one of the tall towers, so Porost was out of breath before they reached it. The small room was strewn with books, which covered all the walls and were scattered on the floor due to lack of space. Under a small window facing south stood a small table piled high with papers. The bed was nowhere in sight.

"Please forgive this mess," the old man said carelessly, and looked at Porost expectantly.

"So..." Porost was afraid to say this; he felt a knot in his stomach, but he knew that much might still depend on it. "

Last spring," he began, "in the royal tomb, my guard and I encountered a specter. And this specter conveyed certain words to me. It spoke only to me...

" "What exactly?

" "Beware the breath of the midnight mouth, which will enter with fire, death, and fear at the approach of the equinox, surprising the innocent. Remember my advice to defeat Chaos with Order." Let the virgin song of the earth change fate terribly.

"By the cursed gods of chaos..." Dadric cursed, his face paling. "Why didn't you tell me this before?! Why?! You idiot, you could have saved the lives of thousands!"

Dadric rushed to one of the books at the desk. He opened it before the lichen and showed him a worn, parchment page with writing he didn't understand.

"I can't read this," Porost said after a moment. Dadric's expression was still set.

"Those are the words you just spoke."

Porost's eyes widened in astonishment. Where did the words of the specter he'd heard a year ago come from in this book?

"These are the prophecies of Astrodamus." The old man spoke the name with almost reverence. "

Forgive me, sir, but I've never heard of such a person," Porost explained.

"What?! How can you not know that name? Where did you grow up, man? In the forest?" Dadric calmed down as he understood what he had said.

"Astrodamus," he began in a mentorly tone, "is the greatest visionary and prophet of all time. His visions always come true, even though he lived two thousand years ago." He recorded his visions in a book that was copied and translated hundreds of times, rendering all copies on the market inauthentic. The book you see is one of three copies written by Astrodamus's disciple in the original language.

The lichen had already caught on. So the spirit quoted the words of the prophecy. It's funny, how did the spirit know these words? Are Astrodamus's prophecies just as popular in the afterlife? Or perhaps Astrodamus himself appeared to him? In either case, he heard a warning he didn't heed. He squandered a chance that could have helped Praag. "

The prophecy you heard," Dadric continued, "is one of those that comes true periodically. Unlike one-time prophecies, which foretell a single event, these prophecies can foretell an event that will repeat itself periodically. They always return because they are reborn after fulfillment. A strange hypothesis, but such prophecies are like autonomous entities that exist to warn against their fulfillment." That means prophecy exists to fail.

"I don't understand. You mean prophecies only come true when no one pays attention to them?"

"No, all prophecies come true in some way, even if we do everything we can to prevent them. But not all prophecies are like that. Look at yours. It contains information about when and what will happen, as well as advice on how to avoid it. If the prophecy's instructions are not followed, it will come true and continue to come true until someone fulfills the advice."

"Wait, too soon. How do you even know it's that kind of prophecy?"

"About 200 years ago, this prophecy first came true. On the vernal equinox, Norsca was flooded by Chaos, which conquered the northern part of the old world. Fortunately, the united peoples of Norsca and the dwarves managed to drive Chaos out, but they paid a heavy price. Today, history is repeating itself. As you know, Norsca has been invaded again. What's more, a few days ago, news reached us of the ignominious defeat of the Army of the United Lands. It's a great tragedy. Now only we stand in the way of this evil army." "

The first news of the Army of Chaos," continued Dadric, "reached us, as you know, with the beginning of winter. So, one can guess that Chaos invaded the northern lands at the end of summer, that is, around the time of the summer-autumn equinox. I bet the Army of Chaos will reach the walls of Praag any day now. The vernal equinox is approaching." It's only four days away...

Polish sat down on a pile of books, exhausted.

"So what good would it do if I told you? You knew the prophecy before... you heard the news from the north. The king had long since begun preparations...

" "Yes, I think you're right, I shouldn't have been so nervous," Dadric said wearily. "Do you understand anything of this prophecy? Especially its second part?

" Polish pondered this. Especially the 'virgin song of the earth.' He knew that Mother Earth sings the lullaby of creation for each of her children. For each plant or pebble, every conscious and unconscious being that hasn't renounced her. He had heard this song thousands of times. He hears it constantly in his heart. He didn't understand why 'virgin'? She is the Mother of all creation, so how could she be a virgin? Or maybe that word had a different meaning two thousand years ago? "

If I come up with something, you'll be the first to know," Polish said.

"Fine," Dadric replied. "Go back to your wife and enjoy her." You might not see each other again tomorrow.

Polish realized this all too well in the throne room. Perhaps today would be the last time he saw Amm?