Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series (54 page)

Shema repeated Lori’s
suggestion that they should try to reach Lashek or Pajar. ‘It is
nearly dawn, I do not believe Zloy will speak to us
now.’

After a brief pause,
Thryssa also sat back down and sighed. ‘Very well. Shall we all
link while I speak with them?’

Lashek was awake when
Thryssa’s mind touched him. She told him briefly of their
uneventful night in Parima and then asked for his news.

‘Gremara returned but
moments ago. Stars know where she’s been but she is exhausted. She
slept as soon as she touched the earth. I will mind speak you when
we have spoken with her – I imagine that will be afternoon at the
soonest.’

Thryssa bespoke Fenj
then, asking gently if he understood the reasons behind her refusal
of his intended plan. Affection poured through the mind link and
also some puzzlement – he did not understand why she or her people
should worry over the fate of an old Dragon. Thryssa laughed and
broke the link, sending most of the mages to their beds to catch up
on lost sleep.

Fenj brought a lumen to
lay beside Gremara’s sleeping form during the afternoon. He had
brought one earlier for the humans to cook. Now he stirred, bending
his head down towards the Silver One. A shudder rippled through the
length of her frame and she whimpered softly.

‘She may have need of
some restorative dear Lorak,’ Fenj murmured when Gremara’s eyes
flickered open.

But Gremara politely
refused the medicinal drink and ate a small amount of the fresh
kill Fenj had brought her. Jeela removed the carcass when Gremara
had fed – Dragons disliked meat left to rot close to where they
spent any length of time. Gremara studied the three Vagrantians and
greeted them formally, her tone warming affectionately towards
Pachela. She spoke no word of her travels but only of what they
must do now.

She twined her sinuous
silver neck against Fenj, then drew back a little. The onlookers
did not hear her words to him, only saw the sudden blaze in the
black Dragon’s eyes. Gremara turned next to Lorak the gardener and
spoke at length to his mind. When she spoke to Jeela, Lashek saw
Lorak reach for Lula and hold her tight to his face. Finally
Gremara spoke to all their minds.

‘The creature in Fira
is careless. He believes himself quite secure for the moment. His
mind is seeking others of his kind, many leagues across this land.
Lashek, you must call your Council now to ready their full
strength. This being will return to Fira at great speed once his
body is attacked and destroyed. He will probably try to take
another body as his habitation but do not lose sight of the fact
that he can easily exist without a solid form. As he returns, he
must be unmade. Your mages will see the thread that links him with
the body he uses now and they will have one chance to destroy
him.’

The Silver One of Talvo
Circle pressed her brow first to Pajar, then Lashek and Pachela.
Her wings suddenly unfurled, enclosing Lorak before she twined
necks with Jeela.

‘Stars guard you,’ she
called and she and Fenj lifted together into the air.

Lorak sat down with a
thump, watching the two Dragons race to the western rim of Talvo,
rise up and then vanish down into Fira Circle. Lashek remained
linked to the mages in the Corvida and gasped as fire seemed to
engulf not just their minds but their bodies.

‘It is illusion,’ he
muttered aloud. ‘It is illusion. It is illusion.’

Pachela cried aloud as
fire exploded against the rim of Talvo where Fenj and Gremara had
lately vanished, and a great pall of all too real smoke rose slowly
into the sky. Jeela paced. Back and forth, back and forth, her eyes
glittering and whirring. Gremara had warned her that she must not
fly until they returned.

The sun sank from sight
as Jeela screamed. Two Dragons flew low from the high crater walls
separating Fira from Talvo. One flew steadily. One wavered and
faltered. Smoke streamed from that Dragon as slowly, so very
slowly, she flew back to her favourite ledge.

Gremara flopped onto
the ledge and Fenj stood below her. Her silver was gone. She was
charred, encrusted with black burnt flesh. The rainbow eyes
flickered towards Jeela and closed, steam rising from the length of
her.

Lorak climbed up to the
ledge where he dropped to his knees by Gremara’s head and collapsed
forward to lie against her poor body. Pachela ran forward but Jeela
barred the way. Tears streamed down the ivory Dragon’s beautiful
face.

‘You will not touch
her. I will guard her and if any of you choose to remain, you may
do so. But no one save Lorak shall touch my Lady.’

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Search though they
might through library and archives in the Asataria, no trace could
be found of the tale Thryssa had related – of the world infiltrated
by a maggot named Petak. Ryla, the most ancient Discipline Senior,
had eventually been ordered to bed, although the battle to enforce
that order had reduced everyone involved to nervous wrecks. Now
only Nolli, Wise One of the Delvers, sat in Lady Emla’s hall. All
Seniors and Discipline Seniors with any talent for healing had been
sent to check every reported case of the affliction.

At first there appeared
to be many such cases throughout the farming plains to the south
west of Gaharn. All cases were of a change in eye colour to red
only, and all cases ended in death. So far, none of Emla’s own
people had been affected, only the indigenous humans. There had
been no new cases near Gaharn for a full ten day although Nolli
wailed aloud to hear of the first deaths in the settlement of Amud.
They all feared that the illness would race through the Domain of
Asat but after a dozen cases were reported in Arak – all resulting
in death – no more had been reported in the settlements further
north.

Kera had written from
the Stronghold, telling Emla of Babach’s departure for Drogoya with
Kija, Kadi and Elyssa, the young Vagrantian whose eyes had
silvered. Kera reported concern over Mim. He was shut in his room
with Chakar, Dessi and Daro. Motass seemed calm but puzzled
whenever he emerged from Mim’s room to collect food but was
stubbornly uncommunicative when questioned. Ashta had been asleep
for three days and Kera suspected the Delver healers were keeping
her in that state with the assistance of the Snow
Dragons.

Emla’s mind reeled from
all these reports. She was increasingly worried by having no news
from either Sapphrea or from Vagrantia. Jilla, the Vagrantian air
mage, was also concerned and had discussed with Emla the
possibility of trying to far see either area. Emla could not decide
whether to condone this action or to forbid it.

This morning she sat on
a windowsill in her private study, gazing down into the grounds of
her enormous House. Blossom frothed along the walks and circled the
Pavilions. She watched Grib trundling a large barrow between tall
hedges, Lilla, one of Hani’s daughters, pacing beside him. Grib
halted beside a freshly dug oval bed and Lilla settled to
watch.

Emla sighed. If only
life was so simple for all of them, but her own life seemed to grow
ever more complicated by the day. She watched Grib unloading new
plants under Lilla’s interested eyes a moment longer then got to
her feet. These few private moments were getting rarer in her life
and she regretted the loss of them. She walked from her apartments
to the winding staircase and ran lightly down to the ground floor.
A maid was leaving Ryla’s room as Lady Emla approached. The maid
bobbed a curtsey when Emla asked how the patient was this
morning.

‘The healer, Senior
Kollas, is with her now my Lady. She is very frail and weak but she
is determined to be well.’ The maid shook her head and lowered her
voice further still. ‘I truly can’t see how she survives my Lady.
She is so very tired in her poor body but her mind forces her
on.’

Emla touched the girl’s
cheek, noting the tears on her lashes and was glad to know she had
such caring helpers to nurse Ryla.

‘She can’t seem to
eat,’ the girl whispered. ‘Pushes food away time and time again,
even the thinnest broth. Cook’s in despair.’

‘I thank you for your
concern for her. She has always been one of the most stubborn
people I know. I think the time has come when we can only keep her
comfortable.’

Emla opened the door
and entered Discipline Senior Ryla’s sick room. The tall figure of
Senior Kollas was stooped over the bed by the window. Emla waited
quietly until he straightened, his voice a low murmur as he spoke
to Ryla. The maid Bara was folding towels onto a chest of drawers
and she gave Lady Emla a sad smile. Senior Kollas leaned to touch
Ryla’s hands lightly then turned from the bed. Emla caught his eye
as he passed her on his way out. He gave a fractional shake of his
head and closed the door softly behind him.

Emla went to sit beside
the bed, reaching in her turn to enfold Ryla’s hand. Ryla’s head
turned slowly towards her and a smile twitched at the corners of
her mouth.

‘Such a damnable
nuisance, dear one.’

Emla bent closer to
hear the words scarcely louder than a breath. Ryla had grown
thinner during the last twenty cycles although none of their people
tended much to fat, but now she was almost transparent.

‘So much still to learn
and to know. Just when everything becomes so fascinating again. And
I hate to let you down Emla. Do you think Nolli could visit for a
while? And Jilla?’

Emla’s green eyes were
magnified with unshed tears although she smiled.

‘Of course my dear. I
will have someone bring her right now.’

‘I’m sorry
Emla.’

‘You have given us all
a very great deal throughout the cycles dearest. You have nothing
at all to be sorry for. Hush now, and I’ll fetch Nolli.’

Emla glanced up as a
shadow crossed the window. Ryla turned her head again with great
effort and a real smile lit her face.

‘Hani,’ she
breathed.

Emla opened the
casement by the bed and the pale green Dragon’s long face
immediately poked in and lowered to touch Ryla’s. The Kephi Bakra,
identical to his mother Khosa, buzzed encouragement from his
position under Ryla’s right arm. By the time Emla returned, she was
part of a small procession. The Vagrantian Bagri, carried Nolli in
his arms while her Delver maid Lanni trotted protectively beside
him. Then Jilla and Shan walked with Soran behind Ryla’s assistant
Khalim. And the Kephi Resh danced through everyone’s feet. The
Discipline Senior Doochay hurried to catch them up. As a healer of
renown and a long time verbal sparring partner of Ryla’s, she’d
been in residence at Emla’s House since Ryla had taken to her
bed.

There was a small fuss
when Bagri would have settled Nolli in a chair and he placed her
instead on the bed beside Ryla. Emla’s throat tightened when she
saw three small blue Dragons and two green pressed close around
Hani. In the short space of time since Emla had been with her,
Ryla’s dark eyes had clouded and were half closed. The healer
Kollas stood behind Emla, his hand resting lightly on her
arm.

There was a stillness
in the room despite the low murmurs as people spoke quietly to Ryla
and then Hani began to sing aloud. Her song began softly and made
her listeners think of the burgeoning growing season just beginning
outside, of blooms and bees, of fragrances and fair breezes. Her
song swelled, filling their minds as well as their ears, swelled to
a peak and gradually subsided. There was an instant’s silence and
Hani withdrew her head from the room, rising erect beyond the
window, the five young Dragons following suit. Then she began to
sing again but this time it was the song of final
farewell.

As tears began to flow
down the faces of those in Ryla’s room, Nolli admonished
them.

‘Why do you weep, when
Ryla is free? Free of the body that caused her such pain for so
long. Be happy for her. Talk of her. Remember her with
gladness.’

Nolli twisted on the
bed, placing her gnarled hands to either side of Ryla’s face, then
bent to kiss her lips. Bagri stepped forward, bowed, and picked up
Nolli’s tiny body and carried her from the room. Her Kephi Resh
wound himself round his brother, buzzing and crying then settled to
wash Bakra’s face thoroughly – the Kephi way of giving comfort. His
actions brought faint smiles from Doochay and Jilla, but Shan was
blinded by tears.

Lady Emla finally drew
the girl away from the bedside, holding her close.

‘Hush Shan. You heard
Nolli’s words. She is right. We must not grieve.’

‘But I was so cross
with her,’ Shan sobbed. ‘I was cross about all those papers and
boxes cluttering up your hall. I was cross all the
time.’

‘And do you not realise
how Ryla loved to make you cross? I’ve seen her drop a pile of
papers and peek at you to see what you’d say!’

Shan sniffed. ‘I loved
her truly Lady. Both those old ladies mean a lot to me. I’d get
cross when neither of them would rest, because I feared they’d make
themselves ill. And that’s just what Lady Ryla did.’ She ended on a
wail.

Emla gave her a little
shake. ‘Shan. Say your farewell to Ryla now and then join us in the
hall.’