Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series (38 page)

‘Did you not discuss
anything with your – comrade, whom you sent here Zloy?’

Laughter, loud and
maniacal, ripped through their minds.

‘Byess was ever a
fool.’ The laughter stopped abruptly. ‘You may think he was easy to
deal with. I am a very different opponent. You may tell me your
choice when darkness falls.’

Thryssa waited but the
creature had released the mind link. She looked at her husband, the
two Speakers and Pajar.

‘That was the same kind
of mind as the one you dealt with Kwanzi?’

He nodded. ‘But, as he
said, much stronger.’

‘Would the shields work
against him, the ones made to protect us from the silver one’s
bouts of madness?’ Orsim enquired.

Lashek was getting to
his feet. ‘We can try. They were formed to cover the four Circles –
perhaps we can divert the extra energy from Fira to augment the
shield over the other three. I will begin the
preparations.’

Orsim turned to
Thryssa. ‘Do you think it is monitoring our mind speech? I need to
contact my Assembly and if you say you think I should not do so
with mind speech, then I must despatch runners at once.’

Thryssa smiled.
‘Whether it can or not, if you keep your messages cryptic enough it
should be safe to do so. And at this point we do not dare waste the
time it would take runners to reach Kedara or Segra.’

Orsim followed Lashek
from the sitting room and Thryssa turned to her first
councillor.

‘Send Pachela to me
please and order the scribes to begin moving the most precious of
the archives up here.’

Kwanzi reached for her
hand. ‘I will go and arrange teams of the strongest healers – it
will take more than six minds to destroy that thing.’ He leaned to
kiss her forehead. ‘I could give Lashek nettle rash, for saying
what fun it would be to live in interesting times?’

Thryssa chuckled. ‘I
believe you would, too.’

A knock heralded
Pachela’s arrival and Kwanzi smiled at her as they passed in the
doorway.

‘Gremara has gone,’
Pachela said before Thryssa could ask. ‘She bespoke me last night.
She was worried by the creature that pretends to be councillor
Prilla, but she said she had to leave as she has far to
go.’

Pachela accepted the
mug of tea the High Speaker offered her. ‘She did not say where she
was going, or why, or how long she might be absent from
Talvo.’

‘How much has she
passed to Jeela I wonder?’ Thryssa frowned. ‘Jeela is scarcely half
a cycle old – a mere infant in Dragon terms, or even in ours come
to that. It is a terrible responsibility for one so
young.’

Another knock on the
door admitted a guard. With admirable aplomb, he saluted the High
Speaker.

‘There is a Dragon on
the roof Lady.’

Pachela was at
Thryssa’s heels as the High Speaker raced up the two flights of
stairs to the roof. Opening the access door, they saw Jeela sitting
patiently in the rain.

‘What is it my dear?’
Thryssa said to Jeela’s mind.

Prismed eyes reflected
the light from behind the two women.

‘You could come inside
if you came down to the main entrance.’

Jeela laughed. ‘I do
not mind the wet. Gremara has told me more of this thing in the
Firan Circle. She says that it is aware that alone, it will not be
able to overcome the combined strength of your mages. She thinks it
is more than capable of inflicting much damage before it flees. And
it will flee. Gremara says that there are two others in these lands
– that is partly why she has gone.’

Faceted eyes whirred,
water spangled on the long pale lashes.

‘She said that you must
remember the story of Cheok.’

‘Did she give no hint
as to our best method of dealing with this creature – it calls
itself Zloy,’ Thryssa added.

‘Only that you must
combine your strength. Separately, the thing could destroy you
easily. And she said that it fears fire, despite the fact that it
uses fire to conceal itself.’

‘You will be safe in
Talvo, will you not Jeela?’ Thryssa felt, with misgiving, mischief
lurking in Jeela’s mind. ‘Jeela?’ she repeated more
firmly.

‘Oh yes. I will be
quite safe,’ Jeela replied airily. ‘Do not forget to think of Cheok
High Speaker.’

The ivory wings
extended and the small Dragon lifted into the rain filled twilight,
arrowing back towards Talvo.

Pachela urged Thryssa
back inside and they stood, water dripping from their drenched
clothes.

‘Go and change,’
Pachela ordered. ‘I will tell Kwanzi what Jeela has
said.’

‘Little help though it
is.’ Thryssa shivered. ‘I know that the archives will be in chaos
now Pachela, but see if you can find a scribe who might know where
a book called “Tales of Valsheba” might be found. It is a very worn
copy, pages loose. I think a purple binding, or a dark blue. Have
it brought to me if you can.’

Pachela returned with
the book by the time Thryssa had changed into dry clothes, her
braid loose and the dark red hair streaked with white lying damp on
her shoulders.

‘Stars, that was quick
work,’ she smiled at the girl.

‘It was actually in the
box they were packing at that moment,’ Pachela smiled back. ‘Unless
you have need of me High Speaker, I should be attending Healer
Chola.’

‘Of course. It seems
crazy, but I must read this closely even as darkness approaches and
that creature expects his answer.’

The last light was
draining away beyond the windows when Orsim and Lashek came to join
Thryssa. A full dozen healing mages, old and young, also arrived,
Chola and Pachela with them, as the time approached when Zloy would
demand their submission. Thryssa indicated the book lying open on
her lap.

‘Gremara said that we
must remember the story of Cheok,’ she explained to the assembled
company. ‘I have been over and over it. One thing pulls at my
attention each time, but I do not see its relevance to our
situation here.’

‘And what is that?’
asked Lashek.

‘Petak was betrayed to
Cheok by one of his closest followers.’ She shook her head. ‘I do
not think Zloy is a close follower, rather, he is acting
independently, and I also do not think that he could be persuaded
from his present intent. So why should I feel there is a clue
there?’

Gremara flew high, her
slender body racing through the upper air. The voices sang
wordlessly through her whole frame as she sped towards the west.
She felt a small pang of concern that she must leave Talvo to cope
with the entity that was Zloy, particularly with Jeela so newly and
early come to the knowledge of the ancients. But Gremara was
confident that others would watch over the events in Vagrantia and
do what they could to help. She could feel neither the child’s mind
nor Grek’s, but she had been told that he at least would soon reach
Sapphrea. And M’Raz was already there, she had felt his mind for
days. Untiringly, Gremara flew beneath the stars, lands she had
never seen far beneath her wings.

In the Stronghold, Mim
stood outside the great gate, staring up at the night, stars
glinting and shivering against the blue black sky. He turned his
head to the south west and sent out his thought.

‘Good hunting, silver
one.’

He walked slowly back
into the hall. It was late. Only the Dragons, and Lula, were there,
everyone else was abed. Fenj rumbled softly when the Dragon Lord
paused beside him.

‘Where does she fly to
Mim?’

Mim tilted his head to
one side, studying the aged black Dragon.

‘To Sapphrea Fenj, but
whether to find Tika or for another reason entirely, I know
not.’

Fenj rumbled again and
rattled his wings. Mim waited: clearly Fenj had something on his
mind.

‘I cannot remain here
for my last days. I believe that I should journey to this
Vagrantia, whence came Thryssa and her friends.’

Fenj’s eyes whirred the
shadows on snow colour when he felt Mim probe further than
politeness dictated.

‘I am fit and healthy
for one of my age. The cold season has abated and there are wapeesh
and lumen upon the grasslands, all the way south to
Vagrantia.’

‘What of Lula? And
Lorak?’

‘They wish to accompany
me.’ Fenj’s tone held a note of puzzlement.

Mim smiled, laying a
taloned hand on Fenj’s massive shoulder.

‘Of course they do. I
will sorely miss you my friend, but if it is your wish to go, then
go you must. I have been honoured and proud to have shared your
company this long.’

Fenj lowered his head,
carefully, for fear of disturbing the sleeping Lula, and pressed
his long face against Mim’s.

‘The last message from
Thryssa said they are in trouble. Perhaps I may be of help. I do
not like to think of little Jeela being there alone
now.’

Mim chuckled. ‘You will
say nothing of Gremara’s departure to Kija will you Fenj? Or she
too will be rushing off to Vagrantia.’

Prismed eyes whirred
faster. ‘I will say nothing. But Kija could not go from here just
yet.’

Mim frowned. ‘Could she
not then Fenj?’ He sighed. ‘Secrets within secrets, and riddles
within riddles is all I encounter of late.’

‘All things unfold in
time,’ Fenj murmured. ‘I think often of Bark these last days. I
would like to have known him before the Grey One damaged him
so.’

Mim was surprised at
this remark and also rather concerned. What was going through the
old Dragon’s thoughts to make him dwell upon the poor crippled
creature who had rectified the Balance and died in Tika’s
stead?

‘When had you thought
to leave us?’ he asked.

Fenj sighed. ‘Tomorrow
seems a good idea. Otherwise it will be put off for one excuse
after another.’

‘But Fenj,’ Mim was
openly concerned now. ‘You do not sound as though you really want
to make this journey?’

Fenj rumbled. ‘Oh I do,
but I have ever hated farewells.’

Mim reached his scaled
arms around the thick black neck and hugged him tightly for a
moment.

‘Then this shall be our
private farewell. May the stars always guide your path and guard
your heart Elder Fenj. Our love and our thoughts will go with you
wherever you journey.’

He felt affection and –
something else, surge from the Dragon, then it was gone. Fenj moved
his head carefully back to rest between his wings and Mim moved
across the hall to where Kija, Kadi and Ashta reclined. Ashta’s
neck snaked across his shoulders with a sigh of contentment. She
was warm, well fed, and her soul bond sat leaning against her: all
was well in Ashta’s world.

Kija studied the young
Dragon and the changeling who was now called Dragon Lord, her eyes
a buttery gold in the light of the dying fire.

‘More changes then
Mim?’

He looked at her
sharply and heard her laugh chime in his mind.

‘I heard Gremara call
to you. I know my daughter must take on the silver one’s
responsibilities.’ Her tone saddened. ‘She is so young and so
small. But – if Gremara has confidence in my child, then so must we
all.’

‘I too will leave soon
Mim,’ Kadi spoke softly.

Mim nodded. ‘You go
with Babach to his land of Drogoya? I had thought that was a likely
possibility.’

‘And I.’

Mim stared at the great
golden Dragon.

‘Surely not Kija? Your
children are here – will they not have need of you still in their
growing?’

‘Hani cares for the
three in Gaharn with a patience beyond belief.’ Kija sounded
rueful. ‘Jeela is under the care of Gremara, absent though she may
be. Farn,’ She hesitated, and Mim took advantage of the
pause.

‘We all know that Farn
was hurt as much mentally as physically in the battle to gain this
Stronghold. Is he truly safe, with only Brin to safeguard him? Brin
is good-hearted and loyal, but he is also easily distracted by
everything new. Are you sure Farn will be kept safe?’

When Kija’s eyes began
to whirr in distress, Kadi replied on her behalf.

‘Mim, do not try to put
doubts in our minds. It is a great and difficult decision that we
have made – do not undermine it.’

‘Babach’s words have
led me to guess that he would try to return to Drogoya, but I do
not understand why either of you should need to go with him –
surely Chakar could order the Plavat to take him?’

Kadi’s eyes whirred all
shades of blue. ‘It is imperative that I go Mim, for reasons I
choose not to give you.’

Mim was confused by the
wave of shame and remorse that briefly came from the
Dragon.

‘And I go for my own
reasons, only one of which I can tell you. That is the fact that
Kadi is my clan sister and clan do not let clan fly alone into
danger.’

The serious tone
lightened.