Longfang (19 page)

‘No answer?’ Husam prompted. A blade suddenly appeared in his hand so fast that Tembo did not even see him draw it. The point was underneath the man’s chin and pressing against
the soft flesh there in the blink of an eye. Tembo was taken aback. For a moment he thought Husam was going to slit the man’s throat. Taking another step forwards, Tembo clamped one of his
huge hands over Husam’s wrist.

‘Enough, old friend,’ he said. ‘He made a mistake. If you want to punish him, expel him from the group. There’s no need for this.’

‘You’re right, Tembo,’ the slim hunter replied. ‘He’s not worth staining my blade on.’ He lowered his knife and sheathed it again. His eyes stared into those
of the other hunter with unblinking intensity. Sweat was pouring down the man’s forehead. ‘This is your first and final warning. Disobey me again and I will not hesitate. The same goes
for the rest of you,’ he added, projecting his voice with more power.

The men understood perfectly. It was the sort of language they expected from a strong leader. They were not shaken. Rather they looked galvanised into a stronger team. Tembo noted the reaction
and was forced to question his own response. Was he imagining things? Was Husam playing a role to impress the men? His head told him it was possible, but his heart spoke differently.

‘Bring the horses into the open and let’s get going,’ Husam ordered. ‘They won’t have gone far. If we’re quick we can still end this today.’

‘How do we know where to look?’ one of the hunters asked, braving Husam’s attention as he grabbed the reins of his animal.

‘Finding them will be no problem,’ Husam replied, his voice strange and resonating. ‘I know exactly where they’re going.’

Chapter Seventeen

Kira prowled back and forth like a caged tiger as she waited for the young scholar to return. Her eyes glowered dark thoughts and her right hand continually strayed to the hilt
of the hunting knife at her belt. Everyone else gave her plenty of space.

Time and again Kira’s eyes strayed back to Kalen’s body and her lips tightened into a thin line of controlled anger. Should they mount a hunt for the killer? Should she and Nolita go
looking for their dragons? Should they look for more answers here in the library? All appeared to offer danger of differing degree.

It was ironic that Nolita seemed more in control of her emotions than she was. The situation seemed dire. Kalen’s murderer might still be loose in the library. The air was thick with
tension. Night dragons might be nearby and somehow involved in Kalen’s death, yet Nolita looked comparatively at ease.

‘At last!’ Kira muttered, as the young man returned clutching a tatty old book.

‘Here it is,’ he announced, waving the book in the air.
‘The Castle of Shadows.’

She intercepted him and pressed him to show her the map. Nolita and Conrad were not far behind.

‘Here,’ he said, opening the front cover and turning to the first page.

Sure enough, there it was, labelled clearly with a little image of a castle. It was on the northwestern coast of Orupee. Kira fixed the image in her mind and knew that she would be able to
recall it at will.

‘Conrad, why do you think Kalen considered this castle to be a place where shadows dwell?’ she asked. ‘Our quest leads us towards such a place, but we do not have time to go
chasing fantasies. Why would he have been drawn to this book?’

‘Perhaps it’s due to the rhyme at the bottom of the map,’ Conrad replied, pointing to four lines of writing at the bottom of the page. ‘Look, it reads:

‘It’s all nonsense, of course, written by the author to enhance the feeling of ancient evil and to set the mood for the book.’

‘It sounds just like the Oracle’s rhyming,’ Nolita observed, a nervous note in her voice. ‘I don’t like the sound of it one bit. There is a resonance here that
gives me the horrible feeling it might hold more truth than we would like.’

A chill had run down Kira’s spine as Conrad read the verse. She agreed with Nolita. This sounded
exactly
like the Oracle’s rhyming. Their path seemed clear. The Castle of
Shadows beckoned, though the invitation to ‘come join us in shadow’ was not one she relished accepting.

‘Thank you,’ she said, her mind made up. She gave a slight bow to both Conrad and the young scholar. ‘We must go. The killer has made his intent clear. He does not want us to
get to this castle. I suspect I know who is behind the murder, though I do not wish to prejudice any investigation with my own suspicion. The race is on, Nolita. We had better get on our way as
quickly as we can.’

‘Wait!’ Conrad ordered, his voice taking on the unmistakeable tone of authority. ‘You are not clear of suspicion in this murder. I know I was with you at the time Kalen was
discovered, but I judge he was stabbed some time before you joined me in the central area of the main library hall.’

‘We ate lunch in the market street just to the west of the main courtyard outside,’ Kira replied. ‘No end of witnesses can testify to the time of our meal and our walk back.
The scholars at the door spoke with us as we entered the library on our way to you. Given the interest people took in us, you will find us easy to dismiss as suspects. I’m afraid we
can’t wait around for the conclusion to any investigation. Our enemies are here. We must leave, or there will be more death.’

‘Is that a threat?’

‘No, Conrad. It’s a fact,’ Kira said firmly. ‘Our enemies have shown that they will stop at nothing to prevent us completing our quest. We must go. I can’t
communicate with my dragon at the moment and I don’t know why. I’ve got a terrible feeling that unless we get out of here now, all hell will break loose. Trust me, you wouldn’t
want that to happen.’

The old scholar looked her in the eyes. Kira met his gaze with unwavering calm. After a moment he looked away.

‘Go,’ he said. ‘I see no evil in you. Go swiftly. When the High Lord’s enforcers get here and see Kalen’s body, things will get very complicated. Ride well, and may
justice ride with you.’

‘Thank you,’ Kira said, giving another bow. ‘Come, Nolita. Let’s go.’

Kira set off at such a pace that Nolita almost had to run to keep up. They threaded between the great labyrinth of bookcases, through the central study area and out the other side, following the
meridian line overhead. For all her speed, Kira moved with no more noise than a breath of air. She was alert at all times, her head constantly on the move. When they reached the main doors she
paused.

‘Fang,’
she called silently.
‘Can you hear me?’

‘Yes, Kira,’
Fang answered.
‘I’m here.’
His voice sounded distant, as if he were right on the edge of communication range. It also echoed, as it had
the night Fang had got them into the night dragon enclave. He was shielding his voice against being heard by other dragons, she realised.

‘We need to get out of here. There’s been a murder in the library. I’ve got a feeling that Segun is closing in on us. We need to get away quickly.’

‘You’re right about Segun,’
Fang confirmed.
‘Firestorm and I left in a hurry when we sensed Widewing and other night dragons coming. There are three of them in
Harkesis. They are at the High Lord’s palace.’

‘Why didn’t you warn us?’

‘We tried,’
Fang said, sounding guilty about his failure.
‘I shielded Firestorm and we slipped away, but we were never close enough to be able to speak to you. We
could not risk coming back to the Grand Library. They would have sensed us for sure. I imagine Segun is expecting us to come back and get you. Let’s not make life easy for him. Meet me down
at the beach. And try to make sure you’re not followed. We don’t want night dragons on our tail from the moment we get airborne.’

‘Very well. We’ll see you there.’

Leading Nolita down the great steps, Kira set off across the courtyard in the opposite direction from the beach. She moved at speed, projecting an air of purpose, as if she knew exactly where
she was going. Anyone trying to follow would have to move swiftly, too. Kira did not look back. She needed to get out into the streets to start laying traps for anyone who sought to track her.

‘Where are we going?’ Nolita asked in a low voice as they reached the cover of the colonnade.

‘I’ll tell you in a bit,’ Kira replied, her voice even softer than Nolita’s. ‘First, we need to see if we are being followed. Don’t look back!’ she
added quickly, as she sensed Nolita’s head beginning to turn. ‘A good tracker will take precautions to prevent us seeing him.’

Kira indicated an upcoming exit and Nolita led the way through the archway and out into the street beyond. They emerged into the market street not far from where they had eaten lunch. Kira took
the lead again, guiding Nolita to the right and along the length of the line of stalls. She moved effortlessly through the milling people like a fish brushing through fronds of weed on a riverbed,
sometimes touching them, but not slowed by their presence. Nolita was not so slick. She bumped into one person after another, apologising for her clumsiness time and again, before they finally
reached the last stalls and the clearer street beyond.

They continued along this street a short way then turned left into a narrow alleyway that led downhill towards the centre of the city. Nolita eyed the dim alley with suspicion. Even in broad
daylight it was easy to imagine murderers or thieves lurking in such a place. With a gentle guiding push, Kira steered her in. Rats skittered along the edges of walls and darted into dark
corners.

Kira glanced back along the alleyway as they emerged from it, but nothing was moving. The street contoured around the side of the hill, in both directions. Kira took them right and then turned
quickly left down a short side street before turning left again. Ten minutes later she had led them in a convoluted loop, back to the market street outside the Grand Library.

As they rejoined the crowd, Kira took Nolita gently by the arm and led her across to a stall that was selling cheap jewellery.

‘I don’t think anyone is following us,’ she said softly. ‘But I want to make absolutely sure. As a hunter, I don’t appreciate being stalked by someone.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Nolita admitted. ‘Why would anyone follow us?’

‘Segun’s here,’ Kira said, picking up a wooden necklace and making a show of looking at it. ‘And I’m sure he knows exactly where we are. We’ve not made a
secret of our visit.’

‘But how did he follow us here?’ Nolita asked, instinctively looking for signs of the night dragons in the sky. ‘Fire didn’t sense them behind us. Did Fang?’

‘No,’ Kira said, shaking her head and putting the necklace back on the table. She leaned close to Nolita and continued in a low voice. ‘How he did it is a mystery, but
he’s here and we need a way out. He’s unlikely to move openly against us, as the High Lord of the city would be obliged to get involved if he did. Fang explained that the rulers of big
cities hold dragonriders in high regard, equal to that of lords and ladies. But whilst we’re here in the city, we’re subject to city laws like everyone else.’

‘So who do you think is following us?’ Nolita asked. ‘Not Segun, surely!’

‘No. More likely one of his lieutenants – or he may have paid one of the locals to keep an eye on us. If it’s a local, we’re less likely to lose him, but it’ll take
him time to report back to Segun. If it’s a rider, he’ll have instant communication through his dragon, which will make things more difficult. Fang is waiting for us at the beach. We
need to get down there and away from Harkesis before Segun has a chance to react.’

‘How far is it to the beach?’

‘About half a league, I think.’ Kira pursed her lips. ‘Far enough to be a problem – look! Try not to stare, but do you recognise that man over by the pig roast? He looks
different without his flying gear on, but I’m sure that’s one of Segun’s riders.’

Kira continued to make a show of looking at the jewellery while Nolita turned to look up and down the market stalls. She did not let her eyes linger on the man, but her expression changed subtly
as soon as she saw him. All remaining doubts in Kira’s mind fled. He was a night dragonrider.

Kira and Nolita exchanged looks. They both understood the situation instantly. Kira thanked the stallholder for letting her look at his wares and the two girls walked calmly along the street
away from Segun’s man.

‘What do we do now?’ Nolita muttered.

‘Well, as our jaunt through the side streets didn’t lose him, I don’t think we’re likely to shake him off by trying to be clever,’ Kira replied thoughtfully.
‘He probably suspects we’re onto him now, so I think the best thing we can do is . . . run!’