Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series, page 9
‘And he would know at once what we attempted.’
Finn nodded. ‘To try mind contact, we would have to leave this shelter to escape the shielding. Thus exposing our presence instantly.’
Sarryen rescued a parchment that had rolled beneath her chair. ‘Would these people send one of their Dragons? Chakar says they have a vast intelligence, including knowledge of much magic. Could one of them reach here in safety?’
‘I would not dare to guess, having no idea of their capabilities other than what Chakar has written. Her owl went with Babach,’ she added irrelevantly.
‘Her owl?’
‘Hmm. Sava. Chakar always had an owl, even at the Menedula. Odd birds. This one made such a fuss and eventually clung to the first cloak we had wrapped around Babach. We just wrapped another around them both. Poor thing was probably smothered on the first day.’
‘Could no other bird make the journey?’
Finn put a log on the fire and added a few pieces of coal. ‘Have you ever seen a Plavat?’ she asked.
‘Well, no. I know only that they are large, and predatory, and spend most of their lives in the air.’
Finn snorted. ‘I can promise you they are very large. They have tempers as foul as a bear’s breath, and why Chakar adopted one is beyond all rational thought.’
‘Except at this moment, that misguided whim has proved to be our one piece of luck,’ Sarryen pointed out.
Finn wiped her hands on her trousers and sat back in Chakar’s armchair. ‘Arryol has little gift for mind travel. He is a healer beyond compare, but that is also his limitation. Your talents are much wider Sarryen. I need you to work with me on all these appalling problems.’
Sarryen smiled ruefully. ‘Where shall I start?’
‘Everything relating to the Night Lands is in this room. I have two students trying to sort their way through the most hideous jumble of texts in one of the chambers along this passage.’ She frowned in thought. ‘I will send Lyeto to you. He is highly intelligent and I believe Chakar had hopes for him as her successor here. It is nearly supper time. Come with me to the common room and we will eat. I have made a habit of staying there for the remainder of the evenings and just talking with our few survivors. I will tell Lyeto to join you back here. He understands some of these papers far better than I do.’
Sarryen liked Lyeto immediately and understood why Chakar saw so much promise in the young man. The delay in ageing, which came into effect as eyes became silvered, would keep him looking young for many more years, as too would Melena. Sarryen guessed that she herself looked to be in her mid thirties when in reality she was nearer three times that age. Lyeto looked less than twenty, and Finn had told Sarryen he was only a year or so older in truth.
On entering Chakar’s sitting room, Lyeto went straight to swing the kettle over the fire to make tea. He shrugged sheepishly when he caught Sarryen’s raised brow and smile.
‘Offering Finn seems to exist on tea, Kooshak Sarryen. Since I have been working with her, making sure there is a constant supply has become second nature. Although, she may be happier now that Master Volk is to begin brewing.’
Sarryen stared hard at him but his expression remained innocent.
‘Where to begin?’ She waved her hand at the table and its pile of books, scrolls and loose papers.
‘Kooshak,’ Lyeto began, saw Sarryen’s scowl and inclined his head. He started again: ‘Sarryen, we need to know what is happening in this land before we risk reaching out to the Night Lands. To do that, I need to be outside and Finn Rah expressly forbids any of us to leave this shelter. Kooshak Arryol will only say that a madness spreads through all of Drogoya, and Finn Rah has not said a great deal more.’
Sarryen chewed her lip. ‘You had heard of the way many people’s eyes became red and they became insane?
Lyeto nodded.
‘Did Finn tell you what she witnessed in the Menedula?’
Lyeto nodded again, but more doubtfully. ‘I think she did not tell us all of it. Chakar has long taught us to beware of Cho Petak, Sacrifice though he is.’ He paused. ‘Is Cho Petak truly the monster that both Chakar and Finn Rah have suggested?’
Sarryen’s violet and silver eyes held his gaze. ‘Far, far worse than either they or any of us could ever have imagined.’
Chapter Eight
Two days from Far, travelling north west, Tika’s party could still see the last peaks of the Spine Mountains behind them. Farn and Brin flew on with their riders and checked a tiny oasis several leagues further, then turned back to where the konina riders had camped. They carried enough water for six days, if they used it sparingly, but confirmation of a place where fresh water could be found comforted them all.
Storm clouds had loomed during the evening of the first day, but no rain fell and the land around them began to have a strange ashen appearance. A few desiccated bushes clung to the thin soil, but there was a deadness, an eeriness, about the area they were entering. They made a fire, using some of the brittle bushes, but did not bother with tents, all except Ren and Maressa being used to sleeping under the stars.
‘How far ahead is the water?’ Pallin asked.
‘A day and a half for you,’ Brin replied. ‘You could rest when we reach it for a day while Farn and I search ahead again.’
Both Gan and Tika regarded the huge crimson Dragon with suspicion. His eyes whirred an innocent rosy hue. Olam did not miss a thing.
‘You would only need to be gone a short while of course?’ he asked.
‘Of course.’ Farn replied before Brin could speak, his eyes gleaming in the firelight. ‘We fly so much faster than your koninas can travel.’
Tika noted a certain annoyance from Brin, but made no comment. Whatever mischief he might have planned, had been effectively curtailed by Farn’s boastful comment.
Olam’s group made less distance the second day than they had hoped: a wind raced up from the south, hurling thin soil, grit and sparkling salt crystals against them. They hastily erected two tents and crowded within, grateful for any shelter. The wind died away in mid afternoon and Olam decided they should ride on until full dark. The land was flat, they had seen no real obstacles in their path to cause the koninas to fall or stumble, so he reckoned it was safe to continue.
Brin had recognised the twirling dust tendrils and had led Farn quickly out of the storm’s path. They watched and waited until it ceased, then flew on again. Maressa bespoke Ren to ensure that he and his companions were unharmed.
‘Olam is riding on until dark, to make up the lost distance,’ she told Gan and Tika.
Brin led them to a point he thought Olam was likely to reach by nightfall and Gan set about building a fire. It was crackling cheerily when Olam’s party rode up, a light to welcome them.
Each sunset Maressa or Ren far spoke Lady Lallia in Far, and on the ninth evening, Maressa immediately called the travellers together.
‘All of you, listen to Lallia. Ren, help them to hear her.’
She closed her eyes again and they heard her call Lallia’s name.
‘Maressa? I feared you had gone too great a distance. There is uproar in Return. Hargon is killing many of his own people, saying they are tainted with ancient poisons, and he demands that the other Lords join him in wiping all such people from the face of the land. Seboth sent a message to warn me and instructing that Far begins preparations to defend itself. He hopes to be here tomorrow but Maressa listen! Hargon ordered the death of his own Armschief, Navan!’
Tika gasped and Maressa opened her eyes briefly to share a worried look with her.
‘Navan fled Return. He stopped here long enough to confirm my Seboth’s letter and eat a meal. I gave him supplies and a fresh konina, and he follows you now, into the bad lands. Will he be able to find you?’
‘Worry not, Lady.’ Brin spoke at once. ‘I will fly back along our route tomorrow and find him, you may rest assured.’
They all felt the relief surge along the mind link.
‘Be very careful Lallia,’ Tika added. ‘Remember the shielding we taught you. I fear that Hargon himself may have enough old blood to somehow sense it in others without realising how he does it. Please Lallia,’ she repeated, ‘be very careful, and Seboth likewise.’
Maressa broke the link and they all stared silently at each other around their little fire.
At dawn next day, Brin lifted into the air and arrowed towards the south east. He flew high, to gain the widest view of the empty land. The rest of the party put up two awnings: they had found the temperature rose rapidly in the day time on this strange plain, although the cold season had barely passed when they left Far, and then they settled in to wait.
Brin bespoke Tika as the sun beat down at midday. The glare off the grey white ground made them all squint. Brin told her he had just spotted Navan and would reach him in moments.
‘You have flown a great distance in this short time Brin, will you wait and rest before bringing Navan to us?’ Tika asked.
‘It is hot Tika. I will rest a short while but I will fly through the night I think. It will be better for this Navan in the cooler time.’ Tika relayed Brin’s words as they all huddled away from the sun’s glare.
Farn enjoyed the heat, basking, wings outstretched to soak in the warmth through every piece of his body. Pallin was the only other who seemed unbothered by the high temperature.
‘Wonderful for elderly bones,’ he explained to a wilting Maressa.
Olam had raised another canvas awning under which the koninas stood. The heat did not seem to worry them too much at present and Sket remarked that no flies had appeared to pester them, as he would have expected. Farn snored gently, and Tika, Ren and Maressa listened to the armsmen’s talk of koninas and fengars. Sket gave an accurate if lurid description of the savage fengars, which Olam and Pallin clearly thought was pure invention. Eventually, Gan came to Sket’s defence, agreeing that although very alike in appearance, koninas were far preferable to fengars in temperament.
Ren glanced at Tika. ‘Fengars sound as bad as Plavats.’
Tika grinned. ‘I do not recall that your Plavat attacked you, or tried to eat you, during your journey. At least, you didn’t mention that it did anyway.’
‘Fengars are really that dreadful?’ he asked, doubt still in his voice.
‘Look.’ Tika made an image of the fengars that had taken them on that first journey into the High Lands.
Ren winced. ‘You make your point.’ He subsided into silence again then smiled. ‘And this is a Plavat.’
He showed them a vision of Baryet standing in the great hall of the Stronghold, peering down over his hooked black bill at Mim, dwarfed in front of him. He allowed the image to fill everyone’s minds and mouths fell open, heads turning to the Offering in horror.
‘Are those a common sort of bird in your land?’ Riff asked faintly.
Ren grinned in satisfaction. ‘Fortunately no. They restrict themselves to the northern coasts.’
The heat gradually lessened and they were able to leave the shade and move around, gathering a pile of the near dead bushes for the night’s fire.
‘Why does it get so cold at night when it is so very hot in the day?’ Riff enquired generally.
‘It is to do with the physical laws,’ Ren began. He studied the blank faces around him and shrugged. ‘It is just one of those things,’ he finished lamely.
They slept, knowing that Brin would warn of his imminent arrival, and most of the night slipped away. Dawn was fingering the sky with pale rose and lemon light when Tika and Farn both jerked awake. Tika coaxed the embers of the fire to a more enthusiastic blaze and carefully rationed some water into the kettle. The others were stirring as Brin landed some paces from the camp, the koninas only twitching slightly at his presence now.
Navan slid from the crimson Dragon’s back, carrying saddle bags and a pack, and staggered. Tika and Sket ran to help him, exchanging glances at the Armschief’s haggard appearance. He also wore the green uniform of Far rather than Return’s dark grey, a fact noted by all the now awakened party. Maressa had tea brewed to push into Navan’s hands when he sank onto the ground by the fire. Olam stood over him for a moment.
‘Sleep Navan. We know your news is not good. You can tell us all when you have had some rest.’
Gan helped Olam get Navan under the awning and he was asleep before they had straightened up. They turned back to Brin.
‘He is deeply sad,’ Brin told them mournfully. ‘He spoke a little to me, but I will leave it for him to tell you later.’
The great Dragon yawned and stretched himself along the ground, but he did not seem particularly tired. Ren tried to work out the distance the Dragon had covered in the last few hours and could only marvel at the creature’s stamina. They waited out another hot day while Navan slept unmoving, so exhausted was he. The air cooled again and they sat round their fire, waiting for Navan to rouse.
‘This daytime heat is too much for us to journey in,’ said Olam. Heads nodded in agreement. ‘It does not bother the Dragons, so I have thought that they might scout ahead for the next water hole and ensure that the way remains without hazard. We could then begin to move once the heat cools and ride through the night.’
‘It will take another five or six days to reach the coast,’ Brin told them. ‘There are two places for water between here and there. The last is only a small way from the great water.’ His eyes whirred in excitement.
As always, Brin was ready to wander in search of new places, new things, wherever the wind or his mood chose to take him. Farn had yet to see this ocean of which Brin had so often spoken, and his eyes too sparkled at the prospect.
‘I am glad I have waited,’ he announced. ‘I will see it first with my Tika.’
Tika hugged him then went still as Navan came from the shelter. The awful weariness was gone from his face but Tika saw new shadows in his eyes. Accepting food from Pallin, Navan sat between Tika and Gan.
‘Lady Lallia said that she told you some of what has happened?’ he asked.
‘She did. But we have not contacted her since then,’ Maressa explained. ‘She told us that Seboth was due home and we felt it best to speak with you before putting either her or Seboth at any risk.’
‘Hargon looks terrible. He has scarcely eaten since the news of his younger son’s death. His eyes grow more bloodshot by the day.’
Maressa and Ren both became alert at Navan’s words but said nothing as he continued.
‘He sent an order through another officer to start killing any townspeople suspected of either dabbling with power, or thought to have old blood lineage.’ Navan put down his half eaten meal. ‘I knew nothing of it until the seneschal, Traff, told me. He was terrified, because his mother’s sister had been known as a teller of fortunes. My second officer, Triss, came to tell me to flee. Traff had already been killed he said, by Hargon himself as he walked across the hall. I was to die because Hargon remembered my great grandmother told tales of a “magic circle” close by Return.’
‘Mayla,’ Tika murmured.
Navan nodded. ‘Mayla,’ he repeated.
Gan cast Tika a questioning look.
‘I told them in Lady Emla’s House when first I was there. An old woman taught me to read and write. Then she had me beaten so that I would never betray the fact that I had learnt such a forbidden thing from her. That was Mayla.’
Khosa had been extremely reclusive during this journey. She had enjoyed the heat for the first few days but quickly found it overpowering. So she slept throughout the days in whatever shade she found with Tika on Farn’s back and latterly under the awnings. At dusk she wandered off exploring. She had scarcely spoken to anyone in the last ten days, so it was with some surprise that Tika now saw the Queen of the Kephis stalk out of the dark and into the circle of firelight.
She climbed daintily onto Tika’s lap and began to buzz quietly. Olam was explaining their plans to travel at night to Navan when Khosa murmured to Tika alone.
‘Something follows us.’
Tika’s hand paused in its rhythmic stroking along Khosa’s back.
‘Some thing? Do you know what?’
‘Something bad. It is some way back yet, but it follows our trail exactly.’
‘Could it be Hargon, or men he has sent after us?’
Khosa yawned. ‘None of you have bothered to watch behind you. Only I.’
‘Yes, yes, yes. I am sure we have been very stupid not to do so. How far is this something?’
‘It was ahead of Navan I think, so maybe a day or so distant.’
‘Show me.’
Tika closed her silvered eyes and followed the faint wisp of pale thread that was Khosa’s mind, and travelled out over the dark land. Khosa stopped.
‘It is there.’
Tika could see nothing at all, but she sent a probing thought cautiously forward. And came up against a hard wall of shielding. For a moment the wall shivered and blazing red eyes glared out straight at her. Then they were gone.
Khosa was pushing at her mind. ‘Back now! Back Tika, to the camp.’
Tika slumped over against Navan, causing him to spill the last of his tea.
‘You should be asleep Lady Tika,’ he began but stopped as Farn’s head snaked over his shoulder to peer anxiously into Tika’s closed face.
Brin rattled his wings and Gan and Maressa were already at Tika’s side.
‘What happened?’ Gan snapped. ‘Tika! Who did you contact?’
Dark lashes fluttered while Sket propped Tika against his shoulder. When she managed to describe what Khosa had led her to, Maressa instantly sent her mind back along their route. Ren monitored her, ready to pull her away should the need arise. But Maressa found nothing at all.
‘Show me exactly what you saw.’ Maressa knelt in front of Tika. When she saw the red eyes that Tika had seen, she gasped. She looked at Ren. ‘Like the affliction,’ she said.
The Offering was deeply perturbed. He had seen no cases of the affliction personally in Drogoya. He had learned much from Maressa of those she had seen within Vagrantia. In Drogoya there had been no mention of any victims’ eyes changing to silver, only to the red with its concomitant insanity. He had made no attempt to examine this child Tika’s mind. Maressa told him that the golden Dragon Kija had assured her there was a very slight change. She was sure it was not harmful but more than that she was unable to say.
