An hour’s walk took us to the edge of the forest. We 126 are traveling very fast now, forgetting our tiredness and eager to reach the city before night falls. Quiet in the forest, almost ominous. Somewhere above us, among the dense branches, these branches completely block the sun. I know the roads crisscross between the trees. From time to time, I hear some rustling, sound fragments, sounds, and singing.

Lafite murmured: "It's too dark here. Anyone who lives in this forest must live on the treetops, otherwise they will be completely blind!"

Kendricks said softly to me, "Are we being tracked? Will they jump us?"

"I don't think so. All you hear is the residents of this city, they are doing daily business there."

Regis said curiously: "It must be so." As we walked along the moss-covered, necessary forest, I told him about the life of the trailer. I have lost my fear. If someone comes to us now, I can speak their language, I can prove my identity, tell my business, and name my adoptive parents. Some of my confidence obviously spread to other people.

However, as we entered more and more familiar territory, I suddenly stopped and put my hand on my forehead.

"I know we forgot something!" I said roughly, "I've been away for too long, nothing more. Kayla."

"What about Kayla?"

The girl explained it herself with her expressionless monotony. "I am a woman without attachment. These women are not allowed to enter the nest."

Lyris said, "That's easy." "She must belong to one of us." He didn't add a syllable. No one could have expected. The Dako nobles will not take their women out like this, and their women are not like Kayla.

The three brothers were caught in a series of voluntary activities, and Rafi made obscene suggestions. Keira frowned blankly, her mouth tight, possibly embarrassed or angry. "If you believe I need your protection -!"

I said succinctly, "Kayla is under my protection. She will be introduced as my woman and will be treated like this."

Ralph grinned. "Do I see leaders maintain their best condition for themselves?"

My face must have done something I didn't know, because it slowly backed away. I forced myself to speak slowly: "Kayla is a guide and is essential. If anything happens to me, she is the only one who can lead you back. Therefore, her safety is my personal business. Understand? "

As we proceeded along the trail, the fuzzy green light disappeared. "We are directly below," I whispered, and pointed upward. Hundreds of trees around us rise, and the branchless 127 pillars are so huge that four people put their hands together and can't surround a person with their arms. They stretched up about three hundred feet, and then stretched out the intertwined branches. Apart from that, nothing can be seen except black.

However, the woods are not dark, but are illuminated by the amazingly brilliant phosphorescence of fungi growing on the trunks and trimmed into peculiar decorative shapes. In the transparent fiber cage, glowing insects as big as a hand buzzed constantly.

As I can see, a stumbling person almost dropped the suitcase except for a gorgeous hat and a narrow waistband. He went from cage to cage, feeding the fireflies with glowing fungi from the basket on his arm.

I called him in his native language, and he put down the basket in surprise, his slender spider-like body supporting it to escape or sound an alarm.

"But I belong to the lair." I called him and gave him the names of my adoptive parents. He walked to me, held my forearm with his warm long fingers, and said hello.

"Jason? Yes, I heard them talking about you." He said in a soft, faint voice, "You are at home. But the others-?" He gestured nervously to the strange face.

I promised him, "My friends, we are here to beg the old audience. Tonight, if my parents can receive us, I will seek asylum with my parents."

He raised his head and called softly, a slender child walked down the suitcase and picked up the basket. The climber said: "I am. It might be better if I guide you to adoptive parents so that you will not be challenged."

I breathe more freely. I don't know him personally, but he looks familiar. Under his leadership, we climbed one by one up the dark stairs in the suitcase and entered the bright square, which was covered by the uppermost leaves and turned into a subtle green shimmer. I feel tired and successful.

Kendricks walked cautiously on the crumbling floor of the square. Every step of it gave a little bit, Kendricks swore in a lucky language that, fortunately, only Raf and I understood. Curious followers swarmed in and tweeted welcome and surprises.

When I greeted my adoptive parents cordially, Lafite and Kendricks despised me. They are old and sad to see me. Their fur is gray, their strong toes and fingers are twisted by some rheumatism, and their red eyes are white and rheumatic. They welcomed me and arranged for other people in my party to be placed in abandoned houses nearby... They insisted that of course I must turn to their roof 128 and of course I must be with me.

"Can we camp on the ground?" Kendricks asked, looking at the fragile shelter in disgust.

I firmly said: "This will offend our master." I found no problems. The roof is covered with woven bark and the floor is covered with moss. The place is abandoned and a bit moldy, but it is weathertight and seems very comfortable to me.

The first thing to do is to send a messenger to the old and plead for the support of the audience. Finished, by one of my foster brothers, we settled down and ate a meal of buds, honey, insects and bird eggs! For me, it tastes good because I am familiar with the food I ate in childhood, but among others, only Kayla has a strong appetite and Regis Hastu is full of curiosity.

After the request for hospitality was met, my foster parents asked my party's name, and then I introduced them one by one. When I named Regis Hastur, it plunged them into a brief silence and then screamed. They gently and firmly insist that their son is not suitable for shelter and that he must be appropriately entertained in the royal lair.

Regis did not protest in a tolerant way. When the messenger returned, he was ready to accompany him. But before leaving, he pulled me aside:

"I don't like to leave the rest of you-"

"You will be safe."

"I am not worried, Dr. Alison."

"Call me Jason." I corrected angrily. Regis opened his mouth slightly and said, "That's it. When you tell the old guy about your mission tomorrow, you must be Dr. Alison. But you must also be the Jason he knows."

"and so-?"

"I hope I don't have to leave here. I hope you can-stay with people who only know Jason, not alone-or just with Kayla."

His face is a little strange, I wonder about it. Will he Hastur be jealous of Kayla? Jealous of me? I never thought he might be attracted to Kayla in some way. I tried to pass it gently:

"Kayla may divert my attention."

Regis said without thinking, "But she had brought Dr. Alison back before." Then, surprisingly, he smiled. "Or maybe you are right. Maybe Kayla will-if Dr. Allison shows up, scare him."

The coals in the dying fire exuded strange colors and faint waves of black hair on Kayla's face and shoulders. Now we are lonely and I feel helpless.

"You can't sleep, Jason?"

I shook my head. "Do your best and get a good night's sleep." I feel that this 129 all night, I dare not close my eyes, or when I wake up, I will disappear into the Jay Ellison that I hate. After a while I saw his eyes. In his opinion, it does not seem to be comfortable and clean, but-accustomed to white sterile tiles, human rooms and corridors-as dirty and unhygienic as any beast's den.

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