Home » Misc » How to dead head cosmos

How to dead head cosmos


Deadhead Cosmos for More Blooms

I grew an orange variety of Cosmos flowers, called ‘Bright Lights’, and I’ve been loving their vibrant blooms! I had only grown the white ones up until a couple years ago. I didn’t know that there was an exciting cosmos world beyond the white and the pale varieties, but then I saw ‘Bright Lights’ and was smitten.

They bloom frequently and plentifully, from early summer until frost:

The way to keep them blooming so prolifically is to cut off the finished, or ‘spent’ blooms, so that the plant puts its energy into making more flowers, instead of into making seeds. This process of deadheading is straightforward, you just cut off the flowers that are done.

 

How to Deadhead Cosmos (and a lot of other plants)

It is best to make the cut from the clump of leaves where the flower stem emerged. So, look at the flower head and then follow the stem back to the first clump of leaves (which may have another flower stem coming out of it) and cut there.

 

It’s better to cut too high (and leave a bit of stem) than to not cut off spent flowers at all. So if you’re caught out in the garden without a pair of secateurs or scissors and you see some spent blooms, just snap the spent flowers off. It will stop the energy being diverted into seed production. You can tidy up the stem stubs the next time you go by with some secateurs.

 

Flower bud or spent flower?

One thing that sometimes confuses people is figuring out the difference between an unopened flower bud (an emerging flower) and a spent flower (a flower that’s done). They do look a little bit similar, but they are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for.

 

The flower bud shows some colour (if your cosmos flowers are white, expect the colour that shows to be white, not reddish like my ‘Bright Lights’), and look like they’re swelling and about to burst open. Which, truthfully, they are.

Spent flowers have less of the flower colour (more green and brown), and have spikey bits (stamen) protruding out of the top. When compared to the bud, it looks like it’s been to the celebration, blown its party horn and now its winding down.

The contrast between the two also clearer even with buds that are further along and starting to open:

 

The far left bud is just starting to open, the middle one is really starting to look like a flower, and then, on the right, is the spent flower head.

 

So snip off all of the spent flower heads often. Your plant will look tidier, and it will bloom more:

 

Plants Just Want to Make Seeds

I hadn’t deadheaded the cosmos pictured in about a week so I ended up removing a good handful of spent blooms:

 

I thought they were kind of pretty, so I left them lying on a little table I have by my potting shed for a couple days instead of putting them straight in the compost. The next time I looked at them I  noticed that they had changed as they dried out.

 

The spent flowers, fully fertilized by the many bees and other pollinators in my garden, had opened up to reveal their seeds. You can understand why spent flowers are sometimes referred to as “seed heads”.

 

If you want to save seeds for next year, you are best to let a spent flower mature (i.e. don’t cut it off until it starts to dry out and get more brownish than greenish), and then cut it off, not cutting off semi-ripe and ripe seedheads like I did.

 

When I’m collecting spent flowers for seedheads, I cut them when they’re mature, and put them in an envelope or paper bag in a dry space. Once they’re  completely dry they will open up like the seed heads above, and then I shake out the thin black seeds into an envelope to use next year. The seeds are black, a little bit shiny, and quite long compared to the seeds of a lot of other plants.

Cosmos Seeds Need to Be Fresh

One other thing about cosmos seeds is that I learned this year how important it is to have fresh seeds if you’re trying to grow them yourself rather than buying little seedlings (baby plants) from a nursery. Seed for some plants, like tomatoes, seems to remain viable for quite a few years, but that isn’t my experience with cosmos.  I had an opened packet and an unopened packet of cosmos seeds from a couple years ago. In March, I tried to germinate them but they would not sprout, no matter which method I tried. As we were in lockdown, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to get more seeds, but I happily found one packet of  Cosmos ‘Bright Lights’ seeds in the almost empty grocery store rack during my weekly shopping trip. I had no trouble at all germinating them.

Cosmos Flower Growing Tips | Garden Gate

URL:
http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/plant-guide/cosmos-flower-growing-tips/

Share:

By: Sherri Ribbey
Looking for a flower that’s easy to grow and looks great? Give cosmos a try — it flowers from late spring to frost and won’t disappoint.

Grow lots of cosmos flowers

Cosmos has been a staple in cottage gardens for generations, but this lovely heirloom annual is a first rate addition to just about any casual garden you have right now. Cosmos flowers sit on long stems that gently nod in the breeze — a great addition to meadows and cutting gardens, too.

Two types of cosmos

The two most common cosmos are tall cosmos and sulphur cosmos. You’re probably most familiar with tall cosmos. This is the one you see in the grocery store seed rack every year. Plants grow 1 to 4 feet tall and have slender, ferny leaves. The 2- to 4-inch blooms come in shades of pink, red, white or violet and bicolors. Flowers are most often single but there are also doubles and other interesting variations — meet a few of my favorites in the gallery below.

Sulphur cosmos has 2- to 3-inch orange, red or yellow single blooms and grows 1 to 6 feet tall. Its foliage is coarser than that of tall cosmos and it tends to grow taller. ‘Bright Lights’ is a dwarf variety in a mix of yellow and shades of orange. But if you prefer a particular color, look for ‘Cosmic Yellow’ or ‘Sunset Orange’.

You Might Also Like:
How to Grow Celosia
How to Grow a Cut Flower Garden
5 Heirloom Flowers

Cosmos flowers are great in bouquets

Besides looking great in the garden, cosmos is a wonderful cut flower. To get the most from your summer bouquets check out these tips:

Deadheading cosmos flowers

Cosmos usually starts blooming in early summer and continues until frost if you deadhead. While you don't have to deadhead, doing so keeps the planty looking tidy and encourages a quick rebloom. Here’s how to do it: Cosmos produces multiple flowering stems near the top of the plant. The center one opens first. As that one fades, clip it out and the side stems will take off more quickly. When they’re all done cut the whole group off above a leaf node to encourage more growth and more blooms.

Shearing back

If you have a large planting or some back-of the-border beauties that are hard to reach, you may or may not want to be as detailed. The photo above shows a less fussy method. You can even go so far as to cut your cosmos back to within 12 to 18 inches of the ground, and the plants will rebloom again in a few weeks.

You Might Also Like:
3 Techniques for Deadheading Flowers
Must-Have Pruning Tools for Gardeners
Easy Flowers to Grow

Save cosmos seed

While it’s a good idea to deadhead your cosmos to keep them blooming, be sure to let a few go to seed toward the end of the season so you’ll have more plants the following year. Let them grow wherever they land or save seeds so you can choose where to grow them. The video above shows you what to look for and how to harvest cosmos seed. They may not come true, or look like the parent plant, though. Check out the simple steps below on how to save cosmos seeds.

How to save cosmos flower seeds

  1. You’ll know it’s time to harvest when the spiky seeds are dark brown. Carefully grab a handful — they fall off quite easily at this point — to add to your stash.
  2. Once you get them indoors, sort out the seed from any debris and put them in a shallow bowl or on a tray out of direct sunlight for about a week to dry. This helps induce dormancy and harden the seedcoat.
  3. Store the seed in a plastic bag, jar or other handy container and keep it in a cool, dry place that stays 32 to 41 degrees F (the refrigerator is fine.)
  4. And don’t forget to add a label with the date so you know what you have next year.

Cosmos flower varieties to try

Looking for some cosmos to brighten your borders and liven up bouquets? Besides the traditional single flowers that bloom in pink, magenta, white or bright orange, there are plenty of exciting new looks for cosmos. Now let’s take a look at a few gorgeous cosmos varieties that you’re going to want to try.

Cosmos sources

‘Sensation Mix’ tall cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus )

Type Annual Blooms 3 to 4 in. single blooms in lavender, pink, magenta and white Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 48 to 54 in. tall and 12 to 14 in. wide

'Seashells’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms An heirloom with fluted petals, this classic has stood the test of time. Flowers come in pink, red and white Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 16 to 20 in. wide

‘Bright Lights’ sulphur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus)

Type Annual Blooms This variety is a flower powerhouse — it blooms nonstop with 2 ½-in. blooms in shades of bright orange, yellow and red Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 15 to 18 in. wide

‘Xanthos’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Soft yellow 2 ½-in. open-pollinated blooms with a white center ring will come true if it reseeds Light Full sun Soil poor, well-drained Size 20 to 24 in. tall and 14 to 16 in. wide

Sonata White tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Part of the Sonata series 2 to 3 in. flowers come in white, pink, magenta, purple and a mix. Sometimes you’ll find this series in multipacks at the garden center Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 18 to 24 in. tall and 12 to 14 in. wide

‘Double Click Rose Bonbon’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Tall enough for the back of the border, the frilly pink semidouble to double 3-in. blooms add a romantic look to the garden Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 18 to 24 in. wide

‘Sensation Mix’ tall cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus )

Type Annual Blooms 3 to 4 in. single blooms in lavender, pink, magenta and white Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 48 to 54 in. tall and 12 to 14 in. wide

‘Xanthos’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Soft yellow 2 ½-in. open-pollinated blooms with a white center ring will come true if it reseeds Light Full sun Soil poor, well-drained Size 20 to 24 in. tall and 14 to 16 in. wide

'Seashells’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms An heirloom with fluted petals, this classic has stood the test of time. Flowers come in pink, red and white Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 16 to 20 in. wide

Sonata White tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Part of the Sonata series 2 to 3 in. flowers come in white, pink, magenta, purple and a mix. Sometimes you’ll find this series in multipacks at the garden center Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 18 to 24 in. tall and 12 to 14 in. wide

‘Bright Lights’ sulphur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus)

Type Annual Blooms This variety is a flower powerhouse — it blooms nonstop with 2 ½-in. blooms in shades of bright orange, yellow and red Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 15 to 18 in. wide

‘Double Click Rose Bonbon’ tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Type Annual Blooms Tall enough for the back of the border, the frilly pink semidouble to double 3-in. blooms add a romantic look to the garden Light Full sun Soil Poor, well-drained Size 36 to 48 in. tall and 18 to 24 in. wide

Published: May 28, 2021

Share:

Tags:

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work in the garden. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Perennials Book

Solar Lights

Expandable Garden Hose

Ergonomic Pruners

Related Tags

annuals tender perennials cutting flower easy to grow plant recommendations

Related Articles
| Flowers & Plants
How to Grow Dahlias
| Flowers & Plants
Different Types of Lavender
| Vegetables
Small Vegetable Garden Ideas
Reviews

Seclude Your Garden with the Best Outdoor Privacy Screens

Unleash Your Flower Power With the Best Fresh Flowers

Safeguard Your Equipment With the Best Riding Lawn Mower Covers

Guarantee Extra Protection With the Best Lawn Mower Covers

Organize Your Gardening Essentials in the Best Garden Totes

The Best Gardening Tool Sets for Your Own Garden

Best Plant Stands To Grow Your Favorite Plants

Best Fly Ribbons To Get Rid of Flying Insects

Grow It Gourmet With the Best Mushroom Growing Kits

Make Your Landscape Projects Hassle-Free With the Best Bypass Loppers

The Best Garden Statues To Beautify Your Lawn

Nurture Your Plants With the Best Grow Light Bulbs

Grow a Flourishing Lawn With the Best Grass Seed Spreaders

Stop Weed Growth With the Best Weed Shields

Maximize the Life of Your Flowery Decorations with the Best Floral Foam

You Might Also Like…

| Flowers & Plants

Grow Beautiful Blue Wood Aster

Adding late-season color to your garden border is a cinch with native perennial, blue wood aster — and pollinators love all the flowers it produces too!
| Flowers & Plants

Types of Milkweed

Plant these types of milkweed to support monarch butterflies.
| Flowers & Plants

Heirloom Summer Bulbs

If you’re looking to add some classic charm to your garden, consider growing summer bulbs like gladiolus, dahlias & lilies! See our favorite heirloom flowers that you can enjoy for years here.

They took it into their heads. How parasites control the behavior of their hosts

© Image: Kateryna Kon / Photohouse / Shutterstock

Parasites are often accused of being passive. Say, they do nothing themselves, but only take everything from their unfortunate owners. But this is a big and wrong simplification. In fact, those who have chosen the slippery slope of total dependence on another have to constantly strain to keep their partner under control. The control of the vital activity of the body, as you know, is carried out by the nervous system. Therefore, any parasite seeks first of all to seize power over it. Even if he himself does not have the slightest hint of a brain.

Parasites, like all other living organisms, primarily require energy. It comes in the form of food. And its source for the parasite, even if it is a plant, by definition are other organisms. A true (in the language of science - obligate) parasite cannot separate from its host without losing viability, and if it does, it is usually in a particularly stable form for dispersal, which has an extremely inhibited metabolism and does not need food.

In short, the parasite's only source of food is its host. For this reason, killing it quickly is highly undesirable: firstly, it automatically makes the supply of resources finite, and secondly, a dead and rotting host poisons the parasite itself. On the other hand, it makes sense to make the host increase its mass, call friends, so that they too (without suspecting anything of the kind) become infected, and multiply with the condition that the descendants of the parasite settle in its children.

Of course, no one likes to voluntarily give part of their strength to some freeloader. Therefore, one who wants to live completely at the expense of others (and obligate parasites have no other choice) must "tread carefully and speak in a whisper." It is necessary to bite off from the owner a little bit, and even pretend that he himself agreed to this. You can even give him something useful in return - in this case, the food source will last longer and will not decide to complain.

Slow and dissatisfied

One of the most well-known, common and relatively harmless parasites closely related to humans is the single-celled Toxoplasma gondii . The infection it causes is called toxoplasmosis. T. gondii infects mice that have eaten their cats, and at the same time the people in whom these cats live. People with a normally functioning immune system are not afraid of Toxoplasma, but HIV-infected and pregnant women should not encounter it: the parasite can be very dangerous for them.

Description

Photo: vvvita / Photohouse / Shutterstock

Most often, Toxoplasma does not cause obvious poisoning of internal organs. However, this parasite changes the behavior of all its hosts so that they begin to experience cravings for members of the species that Toxoplasma can infect. Mice affected by Toxoplasma gondii are much less afraid of cats than their "clean" counterparts, and hardly dodge predators. If healthy rodents shun the smell of cat urine, then those infected with Toxoplasma, on the contrary, are drawn to it. Thus, for predators, they become easy prey and thereby increase the likelihood of infection in cats.

The chain does not end here: cats with toxoplasma treat people well, but people affected by the parasite have a special tenderness for cats, to the point that they begin to relate much better to the smell of cat urine and even sometimes “collect” cats, thereby contributing to cross-infection with the parasite. So did Louis Wain, a British artist. Love for cats was clearly reflected in his work: he painted almost exclusively his own pets. And towards the end of his life, he developed schizophrenia. Considering that Toxoplasma has the strongest effect on the nervous system, it is likely that it was she who ruined Wayne's mental health.

Description

Six images of cats, drawn by Louis Wayne. The drawings show an increase in the degree of abstraction that some psychiatrists attribute to the progression of his schizophrenia. Image: Louis Wain / Wikimedia Commons

Fortunately, in most cases, the effect of Toxoplasma is limited to a slow reaction and a persistent deterioration in mood. The biological meaning of the first is simple: a slow animal is easier to catch for a predator. The second is more difficult to explain. This is probably a "side effect" of Toxoplasma, manifested in humans simply because it is easiest for us to observe its manifestations.

However, no one died directly from irritability, but from insufficiently quick reaction - completely. Where does a modern person most often have to be attentive and quick? That's right, on the road. You must have read crime reports with phrases like "the driver lost control." As a rule, this means that he did not react quickly enough to something. And there is a suspicion that the cause of the slowness of a number of road users is toxoplasma.

In 2017, employees of the First Moscow State Medical University named after. THEM. Sechenov and the Moscow City Research Institute for Emergency Medicine named after N.V. Sklifosovsky was examined by 252 drivers, 100 of whom got into an accident through their own fault. Of this hundred, 45 people found Toxoplasma in the blood, that is, almost half of those examined, and among those 152 who just came for a routine medical examination, only a quarter. This suggests that the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in the body negatively affects the attention and reaction rate of a person. The authors of the work themselves attribute its influence to the fact that Toxoplasma is able to change the intensity of the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates both movement and positive emotions.

Puppeteer mushrooms

Other notable parasites are mushrooms. Their cells are very similar in structure to animal cells, so it can be difficult to get rid of them: you need to find a remedy that would act on the cells of fungi, but not touch the cells of the animal itself. Despite this similarity, mushrooms - and according to modern classification this is a large and combined group - have a number of biochemical "superpowers" that allow them to synthesize a wide range of substances that affect the nervous system.

For example, the “fly fungus”, Entomophthora muscae , greatly changes the behavior of its victims and almost immediately shoots out processes into neurons, but does not significantly change the structure of the nervous system until the death of flies. This was found out last year by specialists from the University of California at Berkeley. They infected laboratory fruit flies with entomophora and killed groups of flies every few hours to see what their organs looked like on sections, and to find out how the activity of various enzymes and the intensity of biochemical reactions in their tissues changed.

Description

Dead fly infected with entomophora fungus in a characteristic pose. Photo: Jaco Visser / Photohouse / Shutterstock

It usually took four days from the infection of Drosophila with the fungus to the death of the fly. Halfway through this period, the hyphae (threads that make up the body of the fungus) began to appear in the nervous system of insects, and the proteins produced by them even earlier. Nevertheless, differences in the work of genes in the neurons of infected and healthy flies were clearly manifested only at the very end, when the insect chose a blade of grass or a stick higher, climbed onto it, flexed its abdomen, spread its wings, and froze.

This posture gives entomophora spores the best opportunity to spread. The hyphae of the fungus grow through the segments of the Drosophila's abdomen and continue to elongate even after its death. A terrible sight. But even worse, the researchers did not understand what exactly in the nervous system is affected by entomophthora. Perhaps its target is some group of neurons that control the movements of the fly.

In a similar way change the behavior of insects and the more well-known parasitic fungi - cordyceps. There are many types of them, but one of the most studied is cordyceps lopsided Ophiocordyceps unilateralis . He chose the tropical wood borer ant Camponotus leonardi as a prey. Like Entomophthora, Cordyceps causes the insect to climb to the highest available vegetation before death and freeze there in a hunched posture, conducive to scattering spores. To do this, the ant needs to leave its colony. This, however, is a plus for the insects themselves: cordyceps spores will not scatter among the workers in the anthill itself, which means that the number of victims will not reach the maximum possible.

Description

Dead wasp infected with Cordyceps fungus. The parasite again forced the insect to climb onto a high branch and freeze in an unusual position. Photo: Erich G. Vallery / USDA Forest Service / Bugwood.org

Luckily, most people are not afraid of mushrooms. We are too "hot" for their spores to germinate. However, as with Toxoplasma, a weakened immune system makes it more likely that the parasitic fungus will still take root in a person. It's good that Entomophora and Cordyceps prefer insects!

Viral multipaths

Sometimes one gets the feeling that the worse a parasite has a developed nervous system, the more ruthless it is. In the summer of 2018, mycologists presented new data on the "fly fungus", and now it's time to feel sorry for him. In some Entomophthora muscae , viruses were found, which they called so - entomophthoviruses ( Entomophthovirus ). Apparently, it is they who make the fungus attack insects and make it possible to control their behavior, and healthy entomophthors do not go for this. It is interesting that sometimes only entomophthoviruses are found in flies, without the corresponding fungi. So, apparently, viruses used to prefer to infect insects themselves, and then for some reason it turned out to be more convenient for them to use intermediaries.

This assumption is also confirmed by the fact that many relatives of the entomophytovirus, iflaviruses, specialize in insects. Schemes of infection are very complex. For example, the wasp Dinocampus coccinellae has its own "house virus" that is contained in the eggs of these insects. They lay their eggs in ladybirds of the species Coleomegilla maculata . The larvae of the riders, hatching, feed on the body tissues of the cow, but at the same time she does not resist and does not try to get rid of them. The cow stays with her parasites even when they have eaten most of her organs and pupated. The cow cannot escape either: the iflavirus forms a paralytic poison in the body of the insect. A bright coloring Coleoomegilla maculata discourages others from pecking at her and the cocoon she "guards". Surprisingly, after the maturation of the ichneumon larvae, almost a quarter of the cows remain alive and recover from the shock.

Description

Frozen ladybug with a parasitic cocoon. Photo: Gilles San Martin / Creative Commons

Viruses also affect the human nervous system, although, fortunately, not through fungi or insects. The best known and most dangerous such parasite causes rabies. It differs from many other viruses in that it freely passes through the barriers that separate the spinal cord and brain from the rest of the body, and moves from the peripheral processes of nerve cells closer and closer to the central nervous system. Therefore, the bites of rabid animals on the face are the most dangerous: from there it is closest to the brain. Well, aggression, the desire to bite is a manifestation of manipulation by the parasite. The more often and further the victim spreads his bodily fluids (mainly saliva), the more opportunities for the virus to settle.

Confrontation

Evolution is blind and largely random, so even the most stupid owners can inadvertently give protection from parasites. Sometimes, thanks to them, you can even grow wiser. Although, of course, it would be better to do this without a push from such assistants.

For example, an increase in intelligence is observed in trout Salmo trutta trutta . Their eyes are capable of infecting the flatworm Diplostomum pseudospathaceum . Pisces can be shown that some items are associated with these worms, and so make these items avoid. This was shown by scientists from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland). For two weeks, they periodically placed the fish for an hour in an aquarium divided into two parts. One half was red and the other half yellow. In one of the compartments there were larvae Diplostomum pseudospathaceum , while the second one did not have them.

Description

Trout Salmo trutta trutta. Photo: Kletr / Photohouse / Shutterstock

With each new landing in the aquarium, trout spent less and less time in the compartment with parasite larvae, that is, they somehow associated the color of the walls with the presence of dangerous neighbors. But what is even more interesting, the number of larvae that nevertheless penetrated the body of the fish depended on its temperament. Brave and exploratory trout were found to have fewer parasites than "humble" fish.

Locker of curiosities

There is one big paradox in the research on "brain parasitism". Biology knows many cases when a parasite changes the behavior of the host , and even more when the parasite changes the biochemistry of the host's nervous system . These two sets intersect very weakly. There are two reasons for this. First, molecular biology is now so accessible that any observed biological phenomenon is trying to be described and explained in terms of enzymes, how genes work, and the like. At the same time, there are so many enzymes, genes, and networks of biochemical reactions, and they are so dependent on the context (the simplest example: the same neurotransmitter can be both excitatory and inhibitory, depending on the receptor that perceives it), that behind the intricate details of molecular interactions the overall picture is lost.

The second reason is that not all molecular biologists are familiar with the behavioral characteristics of the organisms they study, and zoologists and ethologists, alas, do not always keep giant maps of metabolic pathways in their heads. Specialization and separation have gone too far, just like some parasites. All this puts scientists in a precarious position, and their studies of the influence of parasites on the behavior of their hosts look like a disparate set of facts, a kind of cabinet of curiosities - a "locker with curiosities." Therefore, if after reading the article you are left with the feeling that there is a lot of information and few conclusions, then who knows, maybe these parasites affect the human brain in such a way that he does not understand something important about them, and makes him concentrate on small details instead of really key things.

Svetlana Yastrebova

Read "A multi-tiered world: Creator of Universes. Gates of the universe. Personal space. Beyond the walls of Terra." - Farmer Philip José - Page 84

Their plan was to wait for Vala to pass Wolf and Luvah, who were hiding, and then the three of them would jump.

Vala stopped a few feet from the diamond chandelier and said:

“Well, my ugly brother! Looks like you kept your end of the bargain.

He nodded.

— So where is the spaceship?

Theotormon stepped forward, hoping that Vala would also take a step. However, she stood motionless, then mockingly said:

- The entrance is just at the other end of the corridor, in a pink-rimmed mirror. You could walk into it, leaving me to die... if you knew about it! You brainless, vile creature!

Theotormon growled and jumped at her. Luvach jumped out from behind cover and rushed forward, but collided with Chryseis.

Wolf rushed straight to Valya.

She uttered a shriek and stretched out her right hand, moving the palm at a right angle to her forearm and pointing her fingers rigidly apart towards the ceiling. An intense white beam no thicker than a needle splashed out from the palm of his hand. Vala waved her hand, the beam slid down Theotormon's neck, and his head fell off. For a while the body was still standing, blood spouted from the neck in a fountain. Then the corpse collapsed to the floor.

Why Vala and Wolf were not killed with a tiny ray gun implanted in her palm remained a mystery. Perhaps she wanted to keep someone as a future victim who could be tortured - such a decision was fully explained by the psychology of the Vlaschins.

Wolf was helpless, now Vala didn't doubt it. She stepped towards him.

“Now I will kill you,” she said. “You are so dangerous that it is impossible to keep you alive even for a second longer than necessary.

"I'm not dead yet," Wolf said through gritted teeth.

His fingers tightened on Theotormon's head, and he threw it at Vala. Then he jumped to his feet and rushed to her, knowing that he had no chance, but hoping that a miracle would happen and her attention would be distracted at least for a moment.

Vala raised her hand to send a terrifying projectile. The beam cut through the dead head, half of which, however, still continued to fly towards her. Then a beam that shot up to the ceiling cut the golden chain. A half-ton chandelier collapsed on Val. Wolf was still running when it happened. He threw himself on the floor to avoid being shot, just in case Vala was still alive. His sister was staring at him, her eyes still blazing furiously. But the body and hands were pressed down by the weight of the diamond, blood spread across the floor.

"You... won... brother," she breathed.

Chryseis came out from behind the statue and rushed to Wolf.

Sobbing, she clung to him. He couldn't scold her for it, but he had to act.

Having tightly embraced her, he kissed the girl several times, and then pushed her away.

"We need to get out of here while we can," he said. - Click on the third gargoyle from the left side on the top mirror decoration.

She pressed and the mirror turned to reveal a passage. Wolf threw his unconscious brother on his shoulder and moved towards the secret passage.

- Robert! called Chryseis. - And how is she?

He stopped.

— What, how is she?

— Are you going to leave her here? Because she is dying! She is suffering!

— So what? he replied. - She deserved it.

- Robert!

Wolf sighed. It seems that he has become a real Sovereign again, the former Jadavin.

He put Luvah on the floor and approached Valya. She turned and her hand was released, and a piece of broken diamond fell to the floor. Wolf jumped up to her and grabbed her hand at the moment when a beam flashed from her palm. Robert twisted her arm so hard it cracked the bones. Vala cried out in pain and died. A laser beam aimed at Wolf cut it in two. Wolf, Chryseis and Luvach, who came to his senses, rushed to the ship.

The starship climbed up the silo to the top of the palace. Starting, Wolf led the ship to the gate, hidden in the mountains of the planet Temposfudzherov. Only after that did he have time to find out how Vale managed to lure Chryseis out of bed and steal her from his world.

“The hexaculum woke me up,” explained Chryseis. - You were sleeping, she - Vala - warned me that if I try to wake you up, you will die a terrible death. Vala said that only by unquestioningly following the instructions, I will save you from death.

“You should know her better,” said Wolf. “If she could harm me, she would do it without delay. But then you were too scared for me, I understand. You didn't even dare to think that she was bluffing.

— Yes, I wanted to scream, but I was afraid that she might carry out her threats. I was so afraid for you that I lost my head. Therefore, I silently passed through the gates - those that lead to the lower floors of our universe. Before leaving, I turned off the alarm on her orders. Vala was waiting for me in the cave at the gate to take me to this world. You know the rest.

Wolf passed the controls to Luvah to hug and kiss Chryseis. She began to cry, and Wolf's eyes also filled with tears. These were not only tears of relief at the fact that he had returned with Chryseis, safe and sound, but he was freeing himself from the incredible tension in which he had lived lately, wandering through this cruel universe.

He also wept for Valya and his brothers, but not for those who wanted to kill him, but for what they could have become, but never did.

Personal space

Chapter I

Under a green sky and a yellow sun, on a black stallion with a crimson mane and a blue tail, Kickaha galloped for his life.

A hundred days ago, a thousand miles ago, he left the village of the Hrovaka, the bear people. Tired of hunting and simple living, Kickaha yearned to taste civilization. Moreover, he wanted to exercise his intellect, and the Tishketmoaks, the only civilized people on this tier, had many things that he did not know.

So he saddled and loaded a couple of horses, said goodbye to the leaders and warriors, and kissed the two wives goodbye. Kickaha allowed them to take new husbands if he did not return in six months. They also said that they would wait for him forever, to which Kickaha smiled, because they had said the same thing to previous husbands before they rode off on the warpath, and never returned.

Several warriors wanted to accompany him to the Great Prairies. He answered "no" and left alone. It took him five days to get through the mountains. One day was lost because two young warriors from the Wakangishush tribe were sneaking after him.

Perhaps they have been waiting for him for months in Black Weasel Gorge, knowing that one day Kickaha will pass here.

Learn more