– I dreamt about my mother too… – Alva suddenly stopped talking and turned a little pale. – Daddy, she asked me to come with her… I said I wouldn't go, and she was very upset. She said she was so lonely alone in heaven, because you had forgotten her… And everyone had forgotten. – She sighed sadly.
– She was wrong: we all remember her and miss her," I said softly.
– When will Sylvia be back? – Vilja frowned suddenly. – Where did she go anyway? Why is she gone for so long?
"Go ahead, tell them about you slowly dying," I heard Vit's voice in my mind.
"You dare to joke at such a sad moment?" – I mentally retorted.
"Am I joking? I'm giving you wise advice. If Sylvia doesn't show up soon, your daughters will have to bury you. If it comes to that, they'd better learn of your imminent demise now, from you" the snow leopard answered me.
"I will think about it" I briefly tossed back, however I still found meaning in my familiar's words.
I should have shared with my daughters, prepared them for the terrible truth, but I did not wish to upset and frighten them. No. Sylvia will return just in time. She would bring the antidote, heal me, and we would live happily ever after, one big family.
I had never spoken to Sylvia since she left the palace. Andrada's method only worked if my wife wanted to talk to me, and she was the one with the right tool to open the water portal. All I had to do was wait. But she never showed up. And now it began to seem like a bad sign.
"I need to ask Andrada to arrange for me to talk to Sylvia. I can't wait patiently any longer, I need answers. I need to know she is healthy and unharmed" I thought.
– Sylvia went on a little trip to visit her friends,' I found something to say to Vilja.
– Does she have friends? – Alva raised an eyebrow incredulously.
– Of course she does. Every human… Or demon has friends," I said firmly.
– You're not well? – Alva squinted at me.
– Healthy and strong," I lied.
– You're very pale, Papa.
– Yes, as white as the powder on my cakes! – Villia confirmed her sister's words.
– I didn't sleep well, but the fresh air will work wonders, you'll see! – I winked at the girls.
– If you remember, why are you still in bed? – Alva asked unhappily. – Daddy, you're going to miss everything! Everyone's already gathered! They'll be blowing the horn soon!
"What is she talking about?" – I wondered, frantically trying to remember what day it was and why everyone was going somewhere. The poison seemed to have robbed me of my ability to reason soberly and remember dates. I didn't even know what day of the week today was.
"She's talking about King Juris' Memorial Day. If you don't show up on time, Princess Hedda won't forgive you, and neither will anyone else, because you'll be showing blatant disrespect for the memory of a dead man," Vit politely prompted me.
"Thank you. What would I do without you? It seems you now work not only as my familiar, but also as my memory," I thanked the snow leopard.
"You'll be paying me in gold soon! Get up already, lazybones!" – chuckled Vit back at me, and his deep laughter made me smile.
After sending the girls to their grandmother, I got out of bed, washed my face, rinsed my mouth with violet water, and then called my personal servant. As he helped me put on one of my hated "weekend" royal suits, a black velvet one, embroidered with beads and silver threads, I tried to figure out exactly how I felt today. My whole body was aching, every bone, every cartilage, as if I were not a young man but a decrepit gray-haired old man. My breathing was short and too frequent, and large black dots danced in front of my eyes, like fat flies on carrion or a corpse… Well, I was a corpse. Almost a corpse. So why don't these winged dead meat eaters swarm around me?
