Princess Aravo Part 1

22

After taking Irbis to her apartments, Tobro ran to the Pigeons' tower. It was a little and very modest tower that seemed not to fit that palace at all like those pigeons that lived in it. In ancient times nitre for powder-making was produced from their droppings; also in past times they were used as postmen. The times changed and people invented new things. And yet by some reason Tobro liked pigeons and he was allowed to keep them there. He also liked this spot like the only place where could peacefully be by himself. A beautiful view opened from there. But sometimes he came there with other purpose.

Tobro stroke his pigeons, gave them food and water and then sat holding his magic mirror in his hands. The thing was that he knew that magicians visited the prince and it happened so rarely that it must have been important. He had his own little eye and ear in the prince's office. You see, dear reader, he had them because the prince as it was said before was sick. Out of his decease he had problems with his heart and it is a tricky thing. Also Prince Dolohor had very tough character, which did him no good. The fool had those devices as to watch His Highness even when he was not with him and be able to call for help if it was needed. But sometimes he used it as to know some such secrets... No, he would just watch the prince not to make too dangerous decisions for some unlucky ones and even for His Highness himself. Only Tobro had influence on the prince and if you only knew, my dear reader, how many people he saved thus.

Then Tobro chose the right moment and his mirror showed...

The prince sat in his office writing. Suddenly the voice of his secretary was heard:

"Your Highness, two magicians came to you"

"Let them in," the prince answered and put aside the piece of paper on which he had been writing.

The secretary opened the door and let two men in. He himself left the room. Two men introduced themselves as X, the anthropologist and Y, the criminalist. The prince greeted them and asked if they found out something about two corpses.

"Sire, we have their DNAs and even fingerprints from one and retina analysis of the second," started one of them. "Now we can tell you with assurance that one man is the nobleman from Rielnast Sir Armin Mideline. But with the other man we had problems of identification at first. His parameters weren't in the base. So we carried out a facial reconstruction taking his head. To tell you the truth, Your Highness, the result amazed us all."

"What is with it?"

The second scientist held a magic mirror of a medium size in his hands and showed it to the prince. There was an awful distorted face of a dead man.

"This is the face or rather what is left of it of the second corpse," said the man in a rough voice. "We worked on it and here is the result."

Then the mirror showed the plump face of an old man with long white beard.

"Only look at this."

This face was familiar to them all.

"Damn me! He is very like Veles Sollars," exclaimed the first scientist. "Besides, their DNAs coincide with each other too. it can be only one man in the whole world."

"Yes... I know who it is," said the prince. "You are right. It can be only one man in the world. His brother... Maltus Sollars. Only he was as all-round educated as his brother. They both were very brilliant. Only Maltus was more a sanguine person and Veles is more serious, silent and less fat. Yes, the resemblance of two brothers is very noticeable. Thank you very much. You all did your work very well. Soon you will be rewarded and now you are free."

"But wait, Your Highness!" exclaimed X. "It is not all."

"Not all? Go on then, gentlemen." 

"We took the DNA's sample of Maltus's ward from her hair," X continued. "As he once was a citizen of Tinalden and never left it till the well-known moment it can be easily concluded that she too has her origins here."