Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series (43 page)

When Fenj had taken
them nearly past Talvo, he began to descend in a spiral. He
approached Talvo from its furthest southern side, and crested the
rim as Jeela called welcome. When Fenj landed and rattled his
wings, Jeela dropped beside him, her ivory neck twining around him.
All Lorak could make out was an overwhelming delight pouring from
the tiny Dragon as she greeted old Fenj. Fenj’s faceted eyes
whirred the shadows on snow colour while he crooned gently to the
excited Jeela.

Then Jeela turned to
Lorak who was just freeing Lula from her carry sack. Lorak
straightened and found himself flat on his back, the small but
surprisingly heavy Jeela on his legs, her face close to
his.

‘I am so glad to see
you Lorak of the Garden. You must tell me everything of the
Stronghold. Is Dessi well? I miss her you know. And Ashta? You will
tell me all, will you not?’

Lorak spluttered,
pushing at Jeela’s chest with both hands.

‘I can tell you nothing
while you sit squashing a poor soul so. Get off me, you impudent
hatchling.’

Jeela backed away to
let Lorak get up to a sitting position while Fenj’s laugh rolled
through their minds and Lula pranced across to wind herself around
Jeela’s feet.

‘Why do you not look at
the plants old friend?’ Fenj suggested. ‘Jeela and I will talk a
while, then you can add your news.’

Lorak grunted and
clambered to his feet. Jeela’s eyes whirred.

‘I am sorry to have
knocked you down Lorak. There are many plants here that I never saw
before which will interest you I am sure.’

Lorak scowled. Jeela’s
mind tone was not as apologetic as he might have wished, but he
turned slowly around, studying the vegetation. It seemed most lush,
he noted: creepers rampant along the ground and up the crater side
ahead. He sorted out the several packs he had carried and put an
empty one over his shoulder. Lula trotted at his heels when he
stumped off.

‘Beware the small pools
that make popping sounds,’ Jeela called to his mind as he plunged
into what looked to him like a forest of gigantic rhubarb
plants.

Within moments Lorak
was engrossed in the multitude of new plants. Not for the first
time in his life, he wished he could draw or even write better than
he could. Lady Emla had lent him books from her own library which
showed the most detailed pictures of plants, right down to their
root systems. Most of the plants here seemed large, as if the
warmth and moisture had forced them all to grow without constraint.
Poke beneath huge leaves as he might, so far Lorak had found no
little things – nothing like his favourite violets. Everything was
on a grand scale here. Lula shot between his boots and sat in front
of him, her blue eyes wide with alarm above her bristling
moustache.

‘Now what?’ Lorak eyed
her warily. Fond of her as he was, he regarded her as mischief on
four feet.

‘Come and see one of
the popping things.’

Lorak frowned. ‘Now
don’t you start your tricks young Lula. I be busy.’

‘No, no, no. You must
see. It smells a bit strange.’

He knew from past
experience that Lula would get in his way, sitting on plants,
tripping him up, unless he gave in to her demands. He
sighed.

‘Hurry up then. Show
me.’

He caught up with Lula
to find her crouched beside a muddy circle from which steam rose.
He squatted beside the tiny Kephi and stared in surprise as the mud
pushed up to form a dome. Another dome appeared, then more. The
first one suddenly popped and Lorak clapped his hand over his nose
as the acrid stench of rotting eggs engulfed him. Lula sneezed and
backed away. Lorak too was stepping away when a thin jet of water
erupted from the mud, rising many times Lorak’s height. As he gaped
up at it, drops fell on his upturned face causing him to flinch.
They were extremely hot drops. He joined Lula some distance back
and they watched as the water sputtered, faltered, than vanished
again beneath the mud.

‘Well I never did.’ He
stooped to pick Lula up.

‘It does it often,’ she
told him.

So he waited for a
while to see if Lula was correct. He was about to give up when the
domes started rising in the mud again. Once more, water gushed
skywards and then disappeared.

‘Well I never did,’ he
repeated and pushed back through the thick vegetation to where he
had left his pack.

He spent the rest of
the daylight lifting various plants and studying them closely. Lula
sometimes helped him, digging enthusiastically when he was trying
to extract a root undamaged. When she grew bored she went hunting
and brought him various gifts: an extraordinarily large and annoyed
spider, a bright yellow worm, or it may have been a snake – Lorak
was not inclined to look too closely.

Jeela appeared above
him, saying he should return to Fenj. He could easily fall in one
of the strange pools in the twilight, she pointed out
helpfully.

‘There are more of
they?’ Lorak asked in some alarm.

‘Oh yes. Lots in this
part of Talvo.’

‘Lead on then,’ he
said, picking up his pack which now bulged with samples.

Stars prickled overhead
as he sat with Fenj and Jeela. Lula slept in the curve of Fenj’s
arm and Lorak nursed a mug of tea, well laced with
restorative.

‘What shall you do with
all those plants Lorak?’

‘I thought I’d make a
little nursery bed up here tomorrow, and see if they take to being
moved. Have you thought of something to do to help they
Vagrantians?’

Fenj’s eyes whirred,
reflecting the light from Lorak’s small fire as well as the
starlight.

‘Well now old friend, I
believe I may have an idea about that.’

Teams of the strongest
mages, most of whom were Kedarans, had formed and held the
shielding continuously since Zloy’s first contact with the High
Speaker. The torrential rain had ceased, although water levels in
pools and streams still rose steadily. Thryssa had felt the
incredible force of Zloy’s rage when he battered against the
shielding periodically and she saw with sorrow how often her mages
had to change shifts before they collapsed from
exhaustion.

She stood at the window
of her study gazing at the familiar scene stretching to the distant
black wall which separated Parima from Talvo. She was wondering if
she dared risk using the circle to get a message to the Stronghold
or to Gaharn. Speaker Kallema and first councillor Prilla both knew
that the circle in the Corvida was active again, but she did not
think that either of them knew how to use it. If Zloy had drained
their minds of all relevant information, he would know of the
circle but, like the two women, not how to make it work.

Thryssa’s gaze rested
on that black rim, behind which dwelt Jeela, alone these past days
since Gremara’s sudden departure. Did Zloy fear the Dragons, or
disregard them as unimportant? Thryssa rubbed her forehead, then
let her hand drop to the comforting oval pendant. She was not
entirely sure, but she thought it seemed warmer all the time now.
She could not begin to guess what that might mean. She turned from
the window frowning. Raised voices were coming closer to her door.
Thryssa waited. Stars forfend that there was no new trouble. Lashek
opened the door, a huge beam on his round face and Thryssa stared
speechlessly.

An indignant Lorak,
escorted rather more closely than he felt necessary by four men at
arms, stood on the threshold. To her own surprise, Thryssa found
herself crossing the room to greet the old gardener with a hug and
a kiss on his weathered cheek.

‘You didn’t come
through the circle did you?’ she asked in belated alarm.

Lorak was confused:
first he had been leapt upon by some very well built farmers, then
a bunch of armed guards had hustled him across Parima these two
days, and now Lady Thryssa kissed him in welcome. Lula struggled to
get her head out of her sack below Lorak’s chin and Thryssa
exclaimed in pleasure, helping the Kephi free.

‘Lorak brings news from
Talvo,’ said Lashek. ‘I have taken the liberty of asking Orsim,
Pajar, Kwanzi and Pachela to join us Thryssa.’

Thryssa dismissed the
guards and drew Lorak to a chair.

‘So,’ Thryssa leaned
towards Lorak while Lula perched primly on his knees and stared
around the room with interest. ‘You come from Talvo. How did you
get there? Is Gremara back?’

Lorak looked a little
vague.

‘Me and Fenj, we come
for a bit of a visit to young Jeela, seeing as how she be on her
own for a while.’

Thryssa sat back as
those whom Lashek had summoned entered the study.

‘Fenj is in Talvo
then?’ asked Lashek cheerfully. ‘Wonderful character!’

Lorak grinned at him.
‘He is that.’ He looked at Pachela who had sat down on a low stool
beside Thryssa’s chair. Her grey eyes surrounded with silver,
stared steadily back. ‘You be Pachela? Jeela likes you.’

Pachela blushed in
surprise.

‘Couldn’t you go and
see her for a while? Not much to do in this old place I shouldn’t
think, not for a fair maid like you.’

Thryssa cleared her
throat to try to regain control of the conversation, but Lorak had
transferred his gaze to Pajar.

‘My stars! Never seed
hair the colour of yorn,’ he said. ‘Just like a poppy.’

Pajar also blushed and
Lorak’s admiring look faded somewhat.

‘Lorak,’ said Thryssa
firmly. ‘What news do you bring us? Has Mim suggested a way we
might deal with Zloy?’

‘Who be
Zloy?’

Thryssa’s lips
tightened in exasperation. ‘The thing that has taken over Fira
Circle.’

Lorak belatedly removed
his battered hat and studied it minutely. Lula chirruped on his
knee.

‘Fenj had an idea,’ she
said in their minds. ‘We will help him.’

Six pairs of eyes
focused on the Kephi. She drew herself up tidily. ‘It is a very
clever idea too.’

‘Are we to be told what
this idea involves?’ Thryssa asked.

Lula yawned and turned
round and round on Lorak’s lap. Lorak finally met Thryssa’s hazel
eyes.

‘It involves fire d’you
see?’

Thoughts raced through
the High Speaker’s mind but it was Pachela who spoke
first.

‘Jeela told us that
Gremara said Zloy feared fire even though he hid behind it. That
first night when Jeela came here in the rain.’

Thryssa nodded slowly
while Orsim shifted in his chair.

‘All of us can use fire
to a modest extent. But even combined, I do not see how we could
approach this creature close enough to use it.’

‘Fenj said that he
could.’

Thryssa and Orsim sat
up, alert and hopeful at Lorak’s words, but Lashek
scowled.

‘He would be at
enormous risk,’ he said.

Lorak nodded and
shrugged. ‘Old fellow said he knew what he were doing.’

Lashek saw both sorrow
and fear gleam briefly in Lorak’s eyes, then they were
gone.

‘We do not know where
Prilla, or Zloy, actually are in Fira,’ Kwanzi objected. ‘We could
trace her accurately of course, but only if we let our shields
dissipate.’

‘Can Fenj find her?’
Thryssa asked. ‘Does he know the mind signature which he would have
to locate?’

Lorak squirmed in his
chair. ‘Old fellow knows what he’s doing,’ he repeated
stubbornly.

Before any more
questions could be pressed upon Lorak, Speaker Lashek got out of
his chair.

‘Come Lorak. Let me
take you to the dining hall, and then I will show you the enclosed
gardens which are a pride of the Corvida.’

Lorak stood with
alacrity, jamming his hat back onto his head and Lula under his
arm, and departed with Lashek.

‘Is Lorak a councillor
of the Stronghold?’ Pajar sounded puzzled.

Thryssa snorted. ‘He
is, or was, the Lady Emla’s head gardener in Gaharn, until he met
the old Dragon Fenj. I gather he spends more time concocting
suspicious brews than he does gardening, but Fenj is devoted to
him. The Dragon Lord also regards him highly,’ Thryssa added
thoughtfully. She looked at her husband. ‘Something worries you
already?’

‘For Fenj to get close
enough to this creature, would be to expose himself fully to its
influence. I think, whether this Zloy is destroyed in the process
or not, it is highly probable that the Dragon will pay with his own
life.’

Thryssa’s eyes widened.
Her husband’s words shocked her, and Pachela paled beside
her.

‘Explain,’ Orsim
demanded.

Kwanzi regarded his
hands as he framed his reply.

‘Fire may destroy this
entity. It may not. But it would be the distraction that our mages
need to invade Zloy’s mind and take it apart. Zloy would
necessarily focus all his attention on that distraction, albeit for
only a few moments, which is when we would have to strike. But you
have felt the strength of Zloy’s anger against our shields. Could
even the great Dragons withstand that? And could just one alone do
so?’