Calamon choked and lowered his head. Robert did not dare to speak or shout, for fear of affecting Rodrith's spell. The spirit raised its fleshless hand and reached out to the young mage. Robert shuddered involuntarily - the touch of a ghost alone was fatal.

But Rodrith didn't move as if out of his body, and Robert even wondered if he had seen the hand reaching out to his heart. Then Rodrith spoke.

"Thou hast rested here, and now thou shalt tell us thy regrets with the voice of my living creatures. Let us pass through this forest, and thou shalt know in my heart that we have no evil thoughts. ”

The ghost's hand stopped suddenly, and its pale eyes searched Rodrith's face. Then, the ghost's body glowed faintly in the darkness, and it bowed to Rodrith. Robert gasped, he felt the power of Rodrith, but it ——!

Rodrith bowed in return, and then stood next to the ghost. His face was almost as pale as the undead around him. The living dead and the dead alive, Robert thought, and couldn't help but shudder.

When Rodrith spoke again, his voice was no longer the mage's usual hoarse wheezing voice, but was replaced by a deep voice with incomparable authority that resounded throughout the forest. The voice was hollow and cold, as if it were coming from underground. "Who is it that dares to invade the Dark Forest!?"

Robert tried to answer, but his throat was too dry to make a sound. Karamon beside him didn't even dare to raise his head. Robert senses someone moving around him, Kande!

He cursed to himself as he reached out to grab Wade, but it was too late. The little one's ponytail jumped, and he had already run into range of Rodrith's staff, standing beside the ghost.

Wade bowed respectfully, "My name is Wade Pavolt," he said. "My friends," he said, gesturing his companions behind him—"all call me Wade." Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter. The ghost's voice replied. "You just need to know that we are warriors from ancient times. ”

"Is it true that you ended up like this because you broke your oath?" Wade asked with interest.

"Yes, indeed. We swore to defend the land. Then the burning mountains fell from the sky, and the earth was torn apart. Evil creatures emerge from the ground, and we are so frightened that we abandon our swords and flee until we unfortunately take our last breath.

When evil runs rampant here, we are called to keep our oaths. We are to stay here until evil is expelled and nature is restored to balance. ”

Suddenly, Rodrith screamed and raised his head, his eyes rolling up until only the whites of his eyes were visible. His voice turned into thousands of voices shouting. Even the Kander was intimidated by this anomaly, and he took a few steps back and looked at Robert uneasily.

The ghost raised his hand and made a commanding gesture. All the voices vanished as if swallowed up in darkness. "My men demand to know the reason for your entry into the Dark Forest, and if you are disgusted, then you will bring about your own destruction, for you will never see the sun rise tomorrow. ”

"No, of course there is no malice. Wade said anxiously. "I'll tell you, it's a long story, but since it seems that we are not in a hurry, and you don't seem to be in a hurry, I will tell you all about it. ”

"In the beginning we were at the final lodge in Willow. I'm sure you haven't heard of it. By the way, I'm not sure how long it was built, but it certainly wasn't there at the time of the cataclysm, but you think it's a figure from that period. We were there listening to an old man tell Shuma the story, and then he—the old man, not Shuma—asked Scarlet Moon to sing her song, and she asked which song it was, and she did, and then one of the followers thought it was not good to sing, and then the river breeze—the tall man standing over there—pushed the guy into the fireplace. It was an accident – he didn't mean it.

But the follower burned like a torch! You should see it!Then the old man gave me the cane and told me to hit him, and I did it, and it turned into a blue crystal, and then the fire went out, and—"

"Blue Crystal Staff!" the ghost's hollow voice echoed in Rodrith's throat as it began to walk towards them. Robert and Stone reacted in unison - a leap forward pulled Wade away. But the ghost seems to just want to take a good look at the group. Its twinkling eyes fell on Crimson Moon. Raising a pale hand, it called her forward.

"No!" River Wind tried to stop her from leaving him, but she gently pushed him away and stepped forward to stand next to the ghost, crystal staff in hand. An army of necromancers surrounded them.

Suddenly, the ghost drew its sword from its scabbard. He held his sword aloft, and white light and blue flames burst out from its body.

"This crystal staff!" Crimson Moon took a deep breath.

The crystal staff glowed pale blue, as if in response to the sword.

The Ghost King turned to Rodrith and held out his pale hand. Calamon let out a low roar, breaking free from Robert's restraint and raising his sword to stab the ghost.

The blade of the sword passed through the flickering body, and Calamon fell to the ground screaming, curling into a ball. Robert and Stone knelt down beside him, and Rodrith still stared straight ahead, expressionless on his face.

"Calamon, where—" Robert grabbed him, anxious to see where the big man had been hurt.

"My hand!" Calamon trembled and twitched, his left hand—the hand holding the sword—clung to his right arm.

"How?" asked Robert. Then he saw the warrior's sword that fell to the ground - he understood: the sword was covered with a thick layer of frost. Robert looked up in horror and saw the ghost's hand clutching Rodlis's waist.

The mage's weakened body twitched: a pained look on his face, but he didn't fall. The mage closed his eyes tightly, and the lines of mockery and pain on his face vanished into death-like calm.

Robert watched in amazement, only slightly noticing Calamon's roar. He noticed that Rodlis's expression had changed again, this time to one of complete oblivion. The light from the mana on the mage's body grew stronger and stronger, almost blinding.

"Someone called us," said Rodrith, his voice, but Robert had never heard him say that, "we have to go." ”

The mage turned and walked towards the woods, the ghost king's muscular hands still grasping Rodrith. The ghosts make a way for them to leave.

"Stop them!" Calamon howled. He struggled to his feet.

"We can't help it!" said Robert, struggling to grab him, and at last the big man finally collapsed into the arms of the half-elf, crying like a child. "We'll follow him, he'll be fine. He's a mage, Calamon - we can't understand it. We'll follow. ”

As they made their way through the encirclement into the forest, the ghost's eyes gleamed with an eerie light, and the ghosts gathered behind them.

The buddies stepped into a terrible battle. Gold and iron clashed, and the dying soldiers cried out for help. The sound of killing in the darkness was so real that Stone reflexively drew his sword - the sound of killing was deafening.

He constantly dodged the many attacks aimed at him, wielding his sword desperately into the night, knowing that he was doomed and that his death was predestined. He began to run, and suddenly left the dense forest and entered a desolate grassland. Rodrith stood alone in front of him.

The mage's eyes were closed, and he sighed softly before falling to the ground. Stone ran towards him, and Calamon suddenly appeared, rushing to take his brother into his arms, almost knocking Stone down. Rodrith was still muttering words he hadn't heard.

"Little Ray!" Calamon wept silently.

The mage's eyelids twitched, then opened. "This spell... Makes me collapse," he gasped. "I need to rest..."

"You can rest soon!" a voice roared—a living voice!

Even as he quickly pulled out his weapon, Robert felt relieved. He and the others immediately surrounded Rhodelis to protect him, facing the surrounding forest, looking for the source of the voice.

Then a bright moon appeared, as if a hand had suddenly ripped off the black silk scarf from its face. Now they could see the figure of a strong man in the woods, his bare shoulders as strong as Calamon's, and a long strand of hair hanging down the nape of his neck;

With a grim glint in his eyes, the companions heard a noise in the woods, and then saw the tip of the spear glint in the moonlight, and he pointed at Robert.

"Lay down your ridiculous weapons," the man warned. "You are surrounded, do not be delusional to resist. ”

"Don't be fooled!" strode yelled, and before he could say that, there was a loud thud in the forest where branches fell. More people appeared to surround them, each with a sharp spear in their hands.

The leader walked towards them, and the companions watched in amazement, and the hand holding the sword became stiff.

This "man" is not a man at all! He is a centaur! The part above the waist is a man, and the body of a horse is below the waist. He walked forward with ease, muscles bulging all over his body.

The other centaurs moved out of the way at his command, Robert unsheathed his sword, and Hubble sneezed.

"You must come with me. The centaur commanded.

"My brother is weak. Calamon said through gritted teeth. "He can't go anywhere. ”

"Put him on my back. The centaur said coldly. "If the rest of you are tired, you can ride me to where you are going. ”

"Where are you taking us?" asked Robert.

"You are not in a position to ask any questions now. The centaur stretched out his spear and slapped Karamon's back. "We're fast, and I suggest you ride up. Don't be afraid," he bowed to Crimson Moon. "No one will hurt you tonight. ”

"Can I ride it? Robert, please!" Wade pleaded.

"Don't trust them!" Hubble sneezed violently.

"I don't believe them. "But it seems that we have no choice whether to trust them or not – Rodrith can't walk anymore." Wade, get on it! The same goes for the others. ”

Calamon looked at the centaurs suspiciously, picked up his brother, and placed him on the back of one of the centaurs. Rodrith fell weakly.

"Climb up. The centaur said to Karamon, "I can support the weight of both of you." Your brother will need you to hold him off, because tonight we are going to run hard. ”

The stout warrior climbed onto the centaur's back with a red face, his feet almost touching the ground, and he held Rodrith on the horse's back with one hand, and the centaur strode to the other end of the road. Wade giggled excitedly and jumped on the horse, but accidentally slipped into the mud on the other side.

Stone sighed and picked up the Kanders on horseback. Before Hubble could protest, the knight put him on his horse and sat on the same half-horse as Wade.

Hubble tried to speak, but could only sneeze incessantly. Robert rode the centaur at the head and seemed to be their leader.

"Where are you taking us?" asked Robert again.

"Go and meet the King of the Forest. The centaur replied.

"King of the Forest?" repeated Robert. "Who is he? Is he like you?"

"She is the king of the forest. The centaur replied, and galloped.

Robert began to ask another question, but the centaur's rapid pace tossed him off his horse's back, and he almost bit his tongue as he fell.

Sensing himself sliding outward, Robert clung to the centaur's broad body.

"Hey, you don't need to squeeze me in half!" the centaur said, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "It's my responsibility to keep you on your back, relax, grab my waist with your hands, keep your balance, and hold your feet to keep yourself from slipping. ”

The centaurs left the road and galloped into the woods. The moonlight was soon obscured by the dense forest. Robert felt the branches sweep across his clothes, but the centaur did not slow down, and Robert could only assume that they were familiar with the road, but there was no sign of it.

Soon the centaur slowed down until it came to a complete stop.

Robert couldn't see anything in this darkness. He knew his companions were nearby, only because he could hear the rapid breathing of Rodrith, the clanging of Calamon's armor, Hubble's uncontrollable sneezing, and even the glow of the staff of Rodrith had been extinguished.

"This forest is enchanted," the mage replied in a low voice as Robert asked, gasping for breath. "This magic nullifies all other spells. ”

Robert's uneasiness slowly mounted. "Why did we stop?"

"Because you have arrived. Get down. The centaur commanded.

"Where is this?" said Robert, who slid off the centaur's back and stood on the ground. He looked around but couldn't see anything, and the dense woods clearly didn't let a single ray of light through.

"You're standing in the middle of the Dark Forest right now," the centaur replied. "I must say goodbye to you now—or farewell, depending on how the King of the Forest decides. ”

"Wait a minute!" Calamon exclaimed angrily. "You can't just leave us here and make us like blind—"

"Stop them!" Robert ordered, reaching for his sword to draw, but his weapon was nowhere to be found. The knight cursed loudly, indicating that he was in the same situation.

The centaur chuckled. Robert heard the sound of horses' hooves and the swaying of leaves, and the centaur had already left.

"What a journey!" Hubble sneezed again.

"Is everyone there?" said Robert, reaching out and fumbling with his hand, feeling the strength of Stone's hand.

"I'm here!" Wade shouted. "Oh, Robert, it's so much fun—"

"Shut up! Wade!" Robert interrupted. "What about the Plainsmen?"

"We're here. River Breeze said solemnly, "The weapons are all gone." ”

"Everyone's weapons are gone?" Robert asked. "Now we don't even have anything to defend ourselves against in the dark!" he cursed in disappointment.

"My crystal staff is still there. Scarlet Moon said softly.

"That's a mighty weapon, a woman from the Quissu tribe. A deep voice said. "It was originally a good weapon, a weapon used to expel diseases and heal wounds. The voice became a little sad. "But in these turbulent times, the crystal staff is also a powerful weapon against the evil creatures who want to destroy it once and for all. ”

Centaurs – Centaurs are special creatures that have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. They are warriors who maintain the natural ecology and live in the forest in the form of a tribe. Most of the time they avoid the presence of humans, and are welcoming to elves.

Centaurs with a love of spirits and a bold personality will mercilessly kill evil creatures that dare to invade their homes.