If you go hunting a tiger...

- 7 -

Ajax, thanks for the preliminary reading.

Fatima already knew the answer, she looked for information about Dave Terence as soon as she read my letter.

And my whereabouts scared me more than the kidnapping.

Aeterna Saltus. Aesa for short. The special territory of the Republic of Alnorria, located on the border of the western and southern districts, has the status of a district, but it is called "special territory". They speak the northern dialect here, I could guess where I am, but I forgot about Aesa because this is one of those places on Earth where I would never want to go.

Aesa at the end of the 17th century was inhabited by religious fanatics, who were kicked out of their homelands by their own neighbors, since the unmoderated moderation didn't please normal people. But the Alnorrianishes have always loved the "golden mean", frantic epicureanism, as well as rabid asceticism, are equally unpleasant for us, therefore the Independents and their brothers in mind from other faiths didn't arouse sympathy from anyone. However, the Alnorrianishes have always been very practical as well, allowing fanatics to settle in the uninhabited lands and live there to their liking in exchange for the fanatics keeping the mountain roads constantly passable.

Alnorria is a small island, only 388'311 km2 (an easy number to remember, our schoolchildren were lucky), it was possible quickly to sail on a ship around it all in a circle even in those days, but at that time there were many battles in the Mediterranean Sea, much more than ever was in this eternally warring watery expanse. Therefore, small merchants, the backbone and driving force of Alnorria, were afraid to swim even along the coast. And no one ever wanted to cross the high mountains and deep gorges in the center of the island, and because the mountain valleys of Aeterna Saltus remained uninhabited for a long time.

Fanatics turned up in time under the arm of the parliament of Alnorria, and an agreement was concluded with them: "We don't ask what happens in the depths of the valleys, you build federal roads, keep them in order and don't interfere in the life of roadside taverns". This agreement is still in force today to a large extent. Aesa respects federal laws, but there are few of them, each district of Alnorria has its own parliament and its own constitution, its own Supreme Court — his verdict can be challenged in the Federal Court, but this is a very long process (although it is not hopeless!).

But I am here. And half of Aesa's land belongs to TGS and Dave.

I will never believe that my grandmother, even in a drunken stupor, could wish me to live in Aesa!

I tell everything for a long time, but in fact, all the memories and thoughts took a few seconds.

I said goodbye to Fatima and called my grandmother. I wake her up and scare her, but otherwise, she will suffer much more.

Granny answered after the third ring, and before I even had time to say hello, she said:

"You should stay in Terr-Court and don't go anywhere. Wait at least a month. This is necessary for your survival. My son is in Alnorria and he wants to kill you."

"What?!" I was taken aback. "But you only had my mother!"

"You already know about Rudlig," granny said. "Dave couldn't help but tell you."

"I know," I replied. "But..."

I didn't finish, my thoughts were confused. And the granny said:

"I married a well-to-do man at the age of twenty, gave birth to a daughter, and two years later a son was born. I enjoyed the life of a housewoman without even thinking about studying and working. For fourteen years my marriage was quite decent, and my husband behaved adequately. But after that, he began to turn into a religious fanatic, an admirer of the president, and a domestic tyrant. Our lives have deteriorated, entertainment has disappeared, and my husband has stopped buying me fashionable clothes. We fought all the time. But I was afraid to get divorced. I tolerated his transformation into cattle for two years. And I got the inevitable. One day my husband hit me. And I realized that I must immediately save my life. Then Rudlig had not yet completely turned into a medieval dictatorship, and I was able to get a divorce, sue half of what was acquired in marriage, and move to another city, away from my ex-husband and his persecution. I bought a trading warehouse with the help of a good agency, rented it out to a store, and could continue the life of a well-to-do housewoman. The daughter left with me, and the son took the side of the father."