"Svihák, what the fene are you doing with your headband over your eyes?" General Csito asked with folded arms in front of him, when he found the táltos in the training area of the camp's current station.
"He wants to create some sort of binding seal." Inepta, who was resting his head on a pile of boxes, answered the question instead of Etele.
"And why does the headband need to be on his eyes?" The general grimaced, but only received a shrug.
"Would you please shut up? Someone wants concentrate here." Etele spoke with his hand half on his hip, while with his other hand he pulled the blindfold off his eyes.
"If you answer, I'll leave you alone." Csito grinned, makeing Etele roll his eyes.
"Inepta said that not everyone has the innate talent for summoning, as you called it. I guess that's why all the táltoses in my tribe died young." Etele turned his head. "Without natural talent, I think even keeping a simple ghost constantly summoned is exhausting, but if there is an alliance between the spirit and the summoner, then they are able to exchange part of their kí and then the summoner does not have to constantly use kí to summon." He explained enthusiastically.
"I'll translate it, he wants to make sure that even the weakest táltos can summon a ghost and not be harmed by it." Inepta waved.
"I understand that, but it still doesn't explain the blindfold." General Csito scratched his head, and both of them looked at him with wide eyes. "What did I just say?" He raised his hand and looked suspiciously at the táltoses.
"Weren't you taught never to look a ghost in the eye?"" Etele pushed the strap back on his forehead.
"I never understood why it couldn't be done." Csito rolled his eyes.
"Ghosts' eyes are their most powerfull point. If you look into their eyes, they can more easily possess you. A powerfull táltos can withstand their attack. As for Etele's experiment." Inepta glanced at the mentioned, then swallowed and continued. "How did you say it? The alliance will be stronger if it goes from both ways?" To the question, Etele nodded as he approached the pair.
"Exactly, and since it goes from both sides, it's smarter if I prevent them from looking into my eyes, if I can't see their eyes, then they can't force the alliance on me. The easiest way to do this is to pull the strap over my eyes." Etele shrugged.
"I understand. Then I have just one question." General Csito said seriously. "What are you doing here, Inepta?" He pointed to the mentioned.
"What do you mean by what am I doing here? I observe the best táltos so that I can improve." The one-eyed man grinned.
"Yes, you're going on my nerves by staring." Etele growled at him.
"All right, all right. I know when to step down." Inepta pushed himself away from the boxes and left the other two men alone.
"Where does this sudden desire to experiment come from?" Csito asked with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
"When I become a father, I want to prevent my son from suffering the fate of his predecessors and dying young." Etele grimaced.
"I understand." General Csito nodded. "Speaking of summonings." He walked past Etele and drew his sword, then began to draw a pattern in the dust. "I would like you to try to summon him." He looked back over his shoulder at Etele.
"This sign is familiar..." The táltos grabbed his chin as he tilted his head to the side and began to examine the circle drawn on the ground.
"I would have been very disappointed in you if it weren't familiar for you." General Csito smiled at him.
"It's a daimon's seal, right?" The next question came from Etele.
"Yes. The daimon's that you summoned against me." The general announced.
"Ah, the one with the flower wreath." Etele nodded.
"Try to summon him." General Csito gave the order.
"All right." Etele nodded and closed his eyes. The summoning mark drawn on the ground suddenly flashed and then faded. "I will try again." Etele drew his lips into a line and was about to start when a group of soldiers rushed towards them.
"Boss! Boss! General Orchidea! General Orchidea has appeared!" Several people shouted, before Etele started to grimace.
"Who is Genera..." He was about to start the question, but when he saw General Csito's broad smile, the sentence got stuck in his throat.
"Pass him over." The General grabbed Etele's wrist, the táltos was suddenly shaken by the cold from his toes to the crown of his head. "You can return to the Shadow World." Csito whispered.
"What did you do now?" Etele looked suspiciously at the man.
"I sent the daimon back to the shadow world. You were good, Etele." He patted the táltos on the shoulder.
"Okay, now explain. He's not the first daimon I summoned beside you, why does everyone know about him?" Etele scratched his head.
"He is the daimon king's right hand." Chatted one of the soldiers, making the táltos blink in front of him.
"What happened to Svihák?" Csito looked at him mockingly.
"Man, I'm fucking strong." The táltos announced, whereupon those present burst into loud laughter.
In the coming weeks, Etele summoned General Orchidea more and more, always for longer and longer periods of time. And soon the ghost general also became a permanent member of General Csito's troops, like Riki the turul bird. In the meantime, Etele continued to experiment with ghost alliances and by now had brought things to such a level that all of Csito's táltoses, except Etel and Inepta of course, had their own ghost.
"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it." Etele grumbled as he literally stormed into General Csito's yurt, but his feet immediately rooted to the ground when he saw the general in the company of two ladies. "Do I disturb?"
"Svihák! Come on in, you are not disturbing anyone." The general grinned, then looked at the two ladies. "My dears, you can go." At his words, the two women giggled and left the tent together. "Come on, what's wrong with you?"
"Someone tried to kill the Witch." Etele sat opposite General Csito.
"Oh, so your problem is that it didn't work out." The general nodded.
"No! For the forefathers, she is pregnant with my son, I don't want her to get in trouble." The man turned his head.
"I thought you hated her." Csito blinked. It didn't even surprise him that Etele knew that the child would be a boy, the Witch could always tell exactly what gender a child would be before it was born, it was only natural that she knew what her own would be like.
"Besides, I am obliged to protect my wife and the mother of my child as long as she is pregnant." The táltos shook his head.
"No other times?" The general chuckled.
"Other times she can defend herself." Etele shrugged.
"I don't understand why you don't find another woman for yourself if you can't stand the Witch so much." General Csito sighed.
"I'm monogamous and I don't keep more women at the same time like some people do." Etele narrowed his eyes angrily.
"You just made that word up." The general glanced boredly at the táltos.
"Shut up, it sounds good, let's bet it will spread." Etele raised his head proudly.
"I don't even understand why you cling to that woman if you hate her and only care about her because of the child." Csito shook his head, which made Etele stand up and look down at the general sitting on the ground with glowing eyes.
"At least I love someone enough to care about them." His fists were clenched. "He may not have been born yet, but he's still my son. I worry about his fate. Not like you." He pointed at the man. "You, to whom no one is important enough to care even a little." The táltos roared and squeezed his eyes.
In that moment, past and present merged. One moment Etele was yelling with his general in the camp at the foot of the ancient mountains, and the next a young blind boy was tugging at his clothes. The blind gaze burned just like General Csito's gaze that day, but now there was something in it that the general's eyes never had. Concern. There was a mixture of genuine concern and anger in young Razvan's eyes as he tugged at the ghost's vest again.
"Svihák in the name of the forefathers, speak now!" The boy shouted.
"How do you know that name?" Etele hardened his features.
"I've always called you that, you idiot!" The boy grunted, which made Etele's ghost's eyes widen.
"General Csito?" He whispered.
"No, your mother! Of course I am, Svihák! Would you finally answer?!" Razvan pushed Etel away from him, who even opened his mouth in surprise.