Castellan, standing not far from the door, bowed to the guests. Swann handed two invitations into his hands. After reading them, with a false smile, he bowed again to the general and gestured to the servants to open the door shutters made of gilded metal.

Moving towards the door, Tan suddenly smiled and whispered in Swann's ear. Decent generals lead women to a secular evening, and you drag a soldier in full uniform.

But, I'm a combat general, right? And the same could not help smiling.

Before entering, Svan said the phrase: – "Well, into battle …" and, without slowing down, both went inside.

***

As soon as they crossed the threshold, I will fight, out of nowhere, the waiters with drinks and snacks were next to them.

– General Swann, how glad I am to see you today in this hall, throwing his hands up, said Duke Erhard. Coming closer, he embraced the general, not taking his eyes off Athanasius.

– God, who is this?

“This is my confidant and the best fighter in His Majesty's army, Athanasius Mirra,” the general announced with pride.

– How wonderfully harmonious he is!

– That's right, Duke!

– Excuse me not to call me that again! In an informal setting, for you I am Erhard, and that's it! The duke said with pompous resentment.

The way Duke Erhard looked at him made Athanasius uneasy. Suddenly Erhard turned sharply away from him, as from a bored toy, and again embracing Swann, led him to get acquainted with the palace elite of Arkon. Tan stayed where he was, watching as all the gentlemen in turn shook the general's hand, smiled and courted him. But, as soon as the general left, having said a couple of words, to meet other guests of the evening, their smile immediately disappeared. He saw them, screwing up their eyes, looking with envy at the trail of the future member of the military council.

– Yes, here's the mighty of this world for you, a snake ball, and that's all, Tan thought.

Deciding to look around, he took a glass of apple juice, and began his journey to determine the escape in case of emergency. He always did this, it was his habit. “If you want to survive, you have to be ready for anything,” Tan liked to repeat. Having walked around the hall a couple of three times, he already knew on which staircase how many steps, which doors were open and which were locked, as well as the number of guards. Then Tan set to work on the servant and after a while his gaze settled on the incredible beauty of the girl who was handing out glasses of wine. Something set her apart from the rest of the maid crew. She had a slender waist, but from the shoulders and hips, he realized that the girl devotes quite a lot of time to strength exercises. She had a firm gaze that noticed all the guests in the hall. But this gaze was exclusively watching the duke. Then the girl turned her head and their eyes met. Tan smiled at her, but the girl, noticing that she had become the object of someone's attention, was immediately lost in the crowd. An attempt to find her again turned out to be even. Tan found it a bit strange, but the course of his thought process was unceremoniously interrupted by the sound of the opening of the central doors. Time seemed to have stopped, and he saw the young general and two of his guards enter the hall.

– What the fuck ?! Tan asked a question to himself.

As if having heard this question, Duke Erhard immediately climbed the stairs and, having passed a couple of steps to rise above the rest, stopped, turning to the guests.

“Ladies and gentlemen, at my invitation, we were joined by the general of the Batro corps of the army of His Majesty King Orma, an ally of His Holiness King Virgil. – Greetings, General Argos!

Argos greeted those present with a subtle nod of his head. He looked very young for such a title. Medium height. Athletic physique. With a direct and firm gaze. It was clear that he was not a bit, was not nervous and was not embarrassed by the attention to his person. Erhard then followed the same procedure as with General Swann. A little courtesy and they went to all the guests to get to know each other as a sign of respect. Athanasius did not take his eyes off them. An explosive cocktail of anger, bewilderment, disgust, and oddly enough interest was seething in him.

Having met half of the guests, Erhard and General Argos retired in some room, judging by the entire personal study of the duke, at the door of which the retinue of Argos remained.

After staying there, they left for a while, and Erhard continued to acquaint Argos with the remaining generals and board members. At the moment when General Swann's turn came, Athanasius was somewhere three steps behind him.

– General Argos, began the Duke, let me introduce you to General Swann, now a member of His Majesty's military council.

– Greetings, General! said Argos, in a calm voice. His hairless face did not produce any emotion, but it was clear that, unlike the others, he had respect for Swann. Only then did Tan notice. Eyes. They were the same as in his dreams.

– I've heard a lot about you and your successes on the battlefield. How you know how to fight, there are legends, even among our soldiers, said Argos.

Swann opened his mouth to respond with courtesy to courtesy, which was required by the protocol of ethics and diplomacy, but Athanasius was ahead of him. Slowly coming out from behind the general and not taking his eyes off Argos, he said:

– Your skills also certainly deserve attention.

Argos's face showed surprise. He immediately looked at the duke.

This confidant of the Swann general, Athanasius Mirra, was pronounced by Erhard, and his speech sparked with irritation.

– You choose the moment to attack very carefully, right?

The Wotan was silent, while it was evident that he frowned. His brow ridges slid down.

“The most favorable time is at night, when there are only unarmed men, women and children in the villages,” Athanasius growled loudly.

The guests who were nearby were silent, watching the scene.

General Swann immediately turned to him. – These are the deeds of days gone by, he said, and began to take his friend away, turning him towards the exit.

– Maybe we should show you our skills, mister Mirra ?! pronounced Argos.

Tan stopped. The general's attempts to move him from his place did not lead to anything. He turned around. There was rage in his eyes. Clenching his hands into fists, he began to approach Argos. But Swann, catching up with Atanasius, whispered: – Come to your senses! What are you doing? And the red veil fell from his eyes. He looked at the duke, who was furious. His nostrils drew in eagerly, his eyes turned red, his lips narrowed into a barely visible line.

– I apologize! Mirra said, then turned around and headed for the exit.

–“How about a show fight before the opening of the celebrations,” Argos called after him.

Athanasius turned to face him, but did not approach, so as not to tempt fate.

“Arkon and Wotan,” he continued. What is not an excellent start to the celebration of the beginning of the great union – Our reconciliation! And, of course, demonstrations of fighting skills. As he spoke his last words, he grinned.

The duke, hurt by this impudent behavior, supported Argos. “So be it,” he said. Tomorrow, in the grand arena, before the opening of the celebration in honor of the peace and union of the states of Wotan and Arkon. A demonstration fight will take place. As far as I understand, the representative of Arkon has already been chosen, for there is no one who could compare with the inimitable Athanasius Mirra, Erhard said with an arrogant grin. Who will speak on behalf of Wotan? the duke turned to General Argos.

There was a deathly silence.

– I am!

***

– Athanasius! What the hell are you doing? General Swann asked him with obvious nervousness in his voice. “Forgive me, I don’t know what came over me. When I saw his eyes, it was like I was back at that time. I felt the same fear that I experienced then.