Without looking at anyone Orel quickly left the table and nearly ran upstairs. The door slammed loudly making them flinch. Orel locked the door.
* * *
For a while they stayed frozen; then Squint-Eye got up, walked up to Nikto who sat in some kind of stupor, picked up his braid from the floor and came up to Asa.
"Take it," he said in Unclean and tossed the braid at Asa's face. Asa who sat on the floor started back instinctively, looking at Squint-Eye askance with her eyes full of hatred. "You've earned it."
Asa turned away.
"It was my fault," Tol said gloomily. "I shouldn't have…"
"Asa and Nikto are together," Lis said, "and you're a fool, Tol."
"No," Tol shook his head. "I don't believe it. Asa always hated Nikto."
"She did it for us to believe it!" Lis continued. "She acted for our sake but today she's given herself away. Bad girl, Asa, how could you?"
"But she saved her life," Squint-Eye said. "Orel really was shocked. I wonder whether Nikto would have helped her if she hadn't screamed. Huh, Nikto?" Squint-Eye turned to him. "Would you?"
Nikto kept silent.
"I think he wouldn't," Squint-Eye smirked.
"No one could help Asa at that moment," Enriki said. "Orel has gone too far."
"Noo," Squint-Eye drawled, "you're wrong. Something would have definitely happened. Something that wouldn't let Orel finish her off. But the bitch has lost her nerve. She let you down so much," Squint-Eye shook his head, "didn't she, Nik?"
"How could Nikto help her?" Tol objected. "When Orel goes crazy, no one can help."
"Tol, listen to me," Lis said, "you were cheated and so were us. Nikto chose you to go to the Lower City for mercenaries. He chose you because you are self-confident and dumb. Quiet, quiet, don't interrupt me! Listen what clever people have to say. There, in the military school, Borgan was waiting for you to give you that Asa."
"How could he wait for us if we didn't know ourselves we'd go there!" Tol interfered.
"You didn't know," Lis said coldly. "But Nikto and Borgan knew. Nikto knew everything about us, even before the moment we dragged him to the castle so carelessly. He chose Orel a year ago, when he fought in the 'damned' detachment under his command. He found a way to catch Orel… it's difficult not to catch him, he likes everything shitty!"