"Elrod, P N - I, Strahd 2 - War Against Azalin e-txt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

had watched it silently swallow her frail white-clad form and wished for death
to swiftly visit me as well.
But despite the best efforts of my enemies I had not died. I had survived while
they perished. I had survived to exist, but not to live. Never again to live.
Not until decades later when I recognized the face and form of my Tatyana born
once more into the world did a semblance of life returned to my soul.
She was then a village orphan adopted by a lecherous burgomaster looking to make
her his wife; they had called her Marina, but I had known her true identity.
Before I could take her away to her rightful place at my side, the bastard had
murdered her. With my bare hands I had executed him. Far too quickly, but I'd
been too incensed to think clearly else I would have given him a full measure
back of the pain he'd given to me.
My hope for ever having happiness dead, I had returned to my cold castle, and
continued existingЧ until years later when Alina had appeared.
I found her again by accident while making an inspection round of Barovia in the
guise of Lord Vasili von Hoist. My own name was ever too much for the locals.
Lord Vasili was a man to be feared, but his lesser rank did not paralyze them
with terror as did the vastly greater presence of the actual lord of Barovia.
Alina had been one of the serving girls at a welcoming supper in my honor,
hosted by the burgomaster and his wife. Such social rituals are occasionally a
necessary evil for people of rank. I suffered through them as a means of getting
to know those who collected my taxes, to make sure they were being honest about
it. I was ever careful to claim a digestive upset and did not partake of the
food. Alina, not knowing any better, had come by to ask if I wanted wine.
One word of her soft voice, the briefest glimpse of her face, and I knew.
After that I had little memory of the rest of the evening, just a vague idea
that I'd scandalized them all by insisting Alina sit next to me and plying her
with the choicest delicacies their table had to offer. The burgomaster's wife
had been plainly outraged, but had not dared say a word. Perhaps she'd expected
me to take the girl away for some base trysting later, but I was as the perfect
gentleman and parted company with but a chaste kiss on the back of Alina's
slender hand. She'd been quite overwhelmed by this unexpected attention from a
lord, but at the same time shyly interested.
I had paid court to her for a week at the humble hospice, very proper, and with
a watchful chaperone at hand. Of course, I had always made sure to put that
chaperone into a soothing slumber for the duration of my visits and thus could I
freely speak with AlinaЧor Tatyana as I began to call her during these private
moments.
Gradually, with some hypnotic prompting from me, she had begun to remember who
she had been. I was the happiest of all creatures for that week. My love had
come back to me and nothing would take her away. I felt alive, invincible, and
all things were made possible again.
But men in love are ever fools with their assumptions.
When I woke this night the sense of her presence within me was gone. True, it
was but a tenuous thing, for I hadn't dared to partake of her blood lest some
idiot harm her as the last time. Our link was more of the sort all lovers share,
and as consciousness returned to me with the departure of the sun I was
instantly aware something was horribly wrong.
Leaving one of my daylight sanctuariesЧa sturdy box hidden beneath the earth in
the village cemeteryЧ I had rushed to the hospice to find out what had happened,