Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series (47 page)

Finn’s head jerked
towards the door before an urgent knock sounded. Lyeto entered,
ablaze with excitement.

‘We found them,’ he
blurted at once. ‘About twenty five leagues north west of the
Menedula.’

‘Any suspicion of Cho
Petak or his minions near them?’

Lyeto shook his head.
‘The Menedula felt, even at that distance, like a cauldron of heat
– anger, hatred, perversion – streaming from it to about five or
six leagues round about.’

Finn looked worried.
‘Cho Petak can reach here easily – as we know all too well. How is
it that he has not tracked two children still so near the
Menedula?’

‘I keep telling you my
dears, the child is strong and is also protected by someone,
something, that we cannot fathom. It will not be easy but they will
survive the journey here.’

‘I wish I could be so
positive,’ Finn muttered.

Lyeto turned to each
speaker in turn, following their words. He went to the table and
dug a book from the pile, thumbing through its pages.

‘This is where they
are, as far as we could judge.’

He laid the book opened
to a map of northern Drogoya on Finn’s knees. He pointed to the
forested region called Glair. Soosha and Sarryen joined him at
Finn’s bedside and stared down at the map.

‘They have many leagues
of hill country to cross, then the Gara Mountains and down into
Valoon.’ Finn’s finger traced the line she was guessing the
children would take. ‘The cold is scarcely past, where will they
find food?’ Jade silvered eyes looked up at Soosha in real
concern.

His eyebrows rose.
‘They may get a little hungry, but Finn, they will reach
us.’

Finn turned back to the
map. ‘It is mostly small farms scattered there as I recall.
Probably safer than towns or villages.’

‘We have found minds,
few in number, which are no longer normal. No longer human,’ Lyeto
said quietly. ‘I would guess that the great majority of people in
this area are dead.’

‘And no doubt
throughout Drogoya.’ Finn leaned back into her pillows. ‘Light
above, does Cho Petak desire this land emptied of all
life?’

Lyeto bit his lip. ‘We
find no trace of animal minds Offering. A few birds, but no
animals.’

‘What is he doing? In
fact, what is Cho Petak? And why oh why did we not act on our
suspicions centuries ago?’

Soosha patted her hand
and returned to his armchair. Sarryen began to make a pot of tea
when, late as it was, another knock came on Finn’s door. Lyeto
opened it to find the beanpole cook outside. Finn lifted her
hand.

‘Come in Povar. The
hour is late – surely you are not still busy in your
kitchen?’

Povar went to Finn’s
bedside and handed her a folded, sealed paper.

‘On a table by the
common room door,’ he said gruffly.

Finn turned the oblong
paper over and saw her name written across it. Her thumb nail broke
the seal and she spread the paper on top of the book still on her
lap. She scanned the few lines and shook her head.

‘Now will someone
please tell me how Volk knew something that Lyeto has only just
told us?’

Blank faces stared at
her. She waved the paper. ‘Volk feels that he should go back to
Valoon, and further, to the other side of the Gara. He says that
blizzards can still descend on the passes and children would never
make it across alone.’

Lyeto frowned. ‘Volk
uses a cavern quite near the viewing ledge – could he have heard us
speak of this among ourselves before I came to tell
you?’

Soosha laughed. ‘No, no
my boy. Surely Volk would not have had time to prepare for such a
trip and write his letter? Has he said anything to you of late
Povar – of dreams perhaps?’

Povar looked
astonished, as well he might Sarryen thought. She had rarely met
two more taciturn men than Volk and his son in law Povar, and she
could never imagine them sitting down to discuss something as
bizarre as dreams.

‘Well,’ Povar began
slowly. ‘Two, three days past, he been grumbling about a smell
contaminating his brews.’

‘A smell?’ Finn began
to smile.

Povar nodded. ‘Said the
children must have hid some herbs in amongst his
things.’

Finn’s smile expanded.
‘Thank you for bringing the letter Povar. I think Volk will be all
right so do not be too concerned for his safety for a
while.’

Povar looked surprised
again. ‘Ain’t worried about that old fool. But who’s to make the
ale?’

Finn struggled to
straighten her expression. ‘Ask the students to help – I am sure
they could manage something – not of Volk’s standard of course, but
good enough for now.’

Povar nodded moodily
and took himself back to his kitchen. Soosha shook his
head.

‘Well, well. If it is
truly Myata, she must enjoy playing these games with us
all.’

Volk rode one horse and
led two others as he moved round Oblaka town, his senses taut for
any alarm. He had hoped that being outside would clear his nose and
his head, but it did not seem to be having the desired effect. He
swore under his breath. If there was one herb he had no fondness
for, it was that cursed mint and it seemed all about him during the
last two days. He muffled another sneeze, swore again and picked
his way in the starlight towards the high trail to
Valoon.

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Mim was more affected
by old Fenj’s departure than anyone might have guessed. He longed
to have flown south with him, to be free for a while of the
darkness besetting the Stronghold. He was touched by Kija’s obvious
concern for him despite her own worries. Word had come from Gaharn
that there had been inexplicable disturbances in the surrounding
countryside. These disturbances sounded very much like the
descriptions he had heard of the Vagrantian affliction: people
waking, red eyed and mad, and soon dying. So far, none of the cases
had reported any silver eyed survivors.

Emla’s messages told of
cases beginning in the plains and farming lands leagues to the west
of Gaharn, then sweeping south and east. The latest incidents were
approaching Gaharn itself and the Vagrantian air mage still in Lady
Emla’s House – Jilla, said that she sensed a being close by,
similar to the one Thryssa had encountered within the Asataria.
Suppose it was this creature from the Void Thryssa had spoken of
which brought about the eruptions of the affliction? Would it
attack the Domain, work its way north to his Stronghold?

Fenj knew of many of
Mim’s worries and his solid presence had been a source of comfort
to the Dragon Lord. He’d discovered, as had Tika, that his beloved
soul bond, Ashta, despite her size, her strength, her inherited
memories, was still only a baby. She offered him unconditional love
and support, but she could not help his own understanding of what
was happening in these lands. Tension rose once Fenj had flown away
to Vagrantia: everyone felt it, down to the lowest of the
Stronghold servants. Chakar’s owl, Sava, transferred his allegiance
from Lorak to the Delver Bikram but was often to be heard hooting
dolefully from under Bikram’s jacket. The timid Kephi Rofu was in
the Domain with Chakar and Kera, and Mim missed him more than he
could have imagined.

Six days after Fenj’s
departure, Kija and Kadi left, carrying Elyssa and the Observer
Babach. There were many tears at this departure – no one believed
the Dragons would reach Drogoya safely or survive its dangers if
they did. Jal gave them formal farewell in the name of the people
of the Stronghold, but could barely restrain his own tears as first
Kadi, then Kija lowered their long faces to press against his
brow.

An atmosphere of empty
gloom permeated the Stronghold, with an underlying thread of
foreboding. The Snow Dragons were restless and Berri, the acting
Wise One of the Delver people, came to consult with Mim. He and
Dessi escorted her part way back into the Domain and the three of
them paused at the egg cave. Mim explained what he was about to do,
Dessi and Berri giving close attention to his words. After one
last, lingering look at the cave, brilliantly lit with a light that
almost seemed alive, he closed the entrance. Leading the two
Delvers halfway back through the twisting passage, he stopped
again. Another wall of rock appeared, closing off the way to the
cave. He made both women reopen the rock until he was satisfied
that they would remember the means of doing so.

‘Why?’ Dessi asked,
just before she and Mim re-entered the Stronghold.

Mim lifted one shoulder
in a half shrug. ‘I feel it necessary to make them even more secure
at the moment.’

‘The creature in
Gaharn?’ She caught his arm to slow him. ‘You think it will come
here?’ Her dark blue eyes were intent on the Dragon
Lord.

‘I hope it will not,
but I think it well may.’ His laugh fluted softly. ‘Too many people
know that there is such a hidden place Dessi, even if they know not
its exact location.’

‘And the treasures
within must be guarded still?’

Mim’s strange turquoise
eyes with the vertical pupils rested on Dessi. ‘Their time is soon
– but not yet. They must be protected until the proper time, even
if it means the deaths of us all.’

Dessi shivered at the
intensity of both his words and his stare.

News arrived that
evening of the first case of the affliction within the Domain. Amud
was the southernmost settlement and as soon as the case was
discovered, the Elder Falin caused all access tunnels leading north
to be sealed, in a frantic hope that the affliction might thus be
contained.

One case of a young
boy’s eyes silvering was reported in Amud, but eleven youngsters
died, red eyed and insane. Throughout the whole Domain Snow Dragons
sang their songs of grieving and farewell, echoing the sorrow of
the Delver population. Days passed without any more reports of the
affliction. Then the first was found in the settlement of Arak and
all knew that there was nothing that would stop it working its
inexorable way north through the Domain even to the
Stronghold.

When word reached Mim
of Arak’s first two fatal cases, he took Ashta and flew high above
the Stronghold. His fury him urge her faster, higher, further
north, than ever before in a futile attempt to lose his
anger.

Why now, he raged aloud
to the towering mountains and darkening sky. Why now, with the
great Dragons departed when he needed their wisdom; Gremara gone
too, stars knew where; disease creeping upon his people. And the
pain. Oh the pain was becoming unbearable. Try as he might, he
would not be able to hide it from his beloved Ashta much longer,
soul linked as they were. Remorsefully aware at last of Ashta’s
weariness, he let her take them back to the Stronghold.

Observer Chakar
returned hurriedly to the Stronghold with Daro and Chornay. They
were informed that Mim had secluded himself in his high chamber,
still blazing with fury, and had given orders that he was not to be
disturbed. Chakar listened to Jal in silence, fully aware of his
confusion. One armed he might now be, but Jal was prepared to fight
any who had the temerity to attack this Stronghold and its Dragon
Lord. But how did you fight an illness of this kind that could
creep through the very rock of the mountains? There was no pattern
to it - apparently neither contagion nor infection – utterly random
in its choice of victim.

Chakar understood the
Dragon Lord’s anger, mirrored as it was in Jal and in most of the
people of the Stronghold. How indeed could you combat such an
adversary? But Babach had spoken to her before he left for Drogoya
and Chakar knew the Dragon Lord had even more to worry him. She sat
thinking for a brief while then looked up into Daro’s calm face. He
gave the tiniest nod and she smiled.

‘Daro and I will speak
to the Dragon Lord now.’

Motass stiffened but
Chakar forestalled his protest.

‘If you and your
brother will accompany us?’ She glanced across the great hall to
where Ashta slept between two Snow Dragons then got to her feet. ‘I
have an idea we may need to remain with him for some time Chornay.
Please inform Kera and ask that we be not disturbed under any
circumstance.’

She reached for the
battered bag which held her herbs and salves and potions, and
headed for the ramp. She paused outside the door of the smaller
chamber to which Mim had been forced to move by the nesting
Plavats. She looked at Daro.

‘Dessi?’ she
asked.

Daro shook his head.
‘We will call her if we need to, but it is better not as
yet.’

Jal and Motass
exchanged puzzled looks: they understood Daro to be but a young
Vagrantian student yet the Observer Chakar sought his opinion.
Chakar drew a deep breath and placed her right palm against the
door.

‘It’s bolted,’ she
murmured.

A pale greenish light
glowed around her hand, quickly deepening to an almost solid
seeming colour. There was the sound of metal sliding against metal
and the light vanished. Chakar moved her hand from the door panel
to the latch.