Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (15 page)

Kazbeck was piling more
wood on the fire and Beela creaked to her knees, offering a bowl of
steaming soup. Sket held the bowl for Tika to sip and waited
patiently until she’d drunk it all. By the time the soup was
finished, warmth was slowly seeping back into Tika’s
bones.

‘I didn’t think I was
gone all that long,’ was the first thing she said.

Dog grunted. ‘Nearly
dawn already, girl. It’s been a long night for
everyone.’

Tika twisted her head
to see Sket’s nod of confirmation. She grimaced.

‘Sorry. It never feels
that I’m away more than a few moments.’ She struggled to free one
hand from the quilt cocoon.

‘It seems that Mena is
in charge. She was tearing into Finn Rah. Apparently Ren tried to
open a gateway into the small chamber where the Weights of Balance
hang. Mena seemed to think his suggestion that he really could do
that was merely his imagination going mad. Finn Rah told her Ren
had collapsed again.’

Tika regarded Shivan
with a mixture of sternness and curiosity. ‘What exactly were the
“restrictions” Corman put on Ren’s ability to open
gateways?’

Shivan grinned. ‘Unless
one of us are with him – that is, any with Dark blood, Ren will
just get very sick. No gateway will open.’

There were a few
appreciative chuckles around the group. Tika nodded; she’d
suspected something along those lines. But now she looked for
Babach. The old man was in a chair, swathed in blankets, and he
looked exhausted. Clearly he had stayed awake with the rest while
Tika’s mind was travelling.

‘Babach, Mena raged at
Finn Rah about you too. I think she suspects Kija rescued you,
rather than ate you.’

Farn hissed angrily
above Tika’s head and his eyes flashed and whirred.

‘Ate him?’ he echoed in
horror. ‘Ate him?’

‘Hush dear one. We all
know that is a foul suggestion for Finn Rah to make. Mena didn’t
believe it anyway.’

Tika’s hand caressed
his face above her shoulder, but she continued to study
Babach.

‘Mena told Finn Rah
there were things in your head that you know nothing of. Could that
be possible?’

Babach’s face showed
bewilderment.

‘I have no idea. You
mean something, some information, could have been hidden in my mind
without my knowledge?’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know how such a
thing might be done, but if it can, how can I know what such
information might be?’

Tika pushed the quilt
away, noting absently that yet again she seemed to recover far more
quickly than she had before she’d descended into the Dark. She
smiled round at the company.

‘Thank you all for
watching over me, but really we should all get a little sleep.
Babach we must talk more, but later, when you’re
rested.’

Khosa wriggled under
the abandoned quilt and curled up, her tail over her nose, and
slowly Tika’s companions began to move away. Some headed for the
bedrooms while a few remained in the hall, determined to stay near
their Lady. Tika stayed sitting against Farn’s chest. Shivan sat
across from her, his hand gently stroking the curve of Khosa’s
spine.

‘I would speak with
Corman,’ he said in mind speech.

When Tika nodded, he
rose and went quietly out of the hall. As the door closed behind
him, he heard Tika’s whisper in his head.

‘Give the First
Daughter, and Garrol, my love.’

Dragon gateways were
swifter to travel than the more usual Dark gateways. Shivan arrived
on the roof terrace of the Karmazen Palace as the rising sun
flashed along the horizon, turning the sea to a brilliant dazzle.
The massively fragile Dragon shape shimmered, and the young Dark
Lord Shivan strode towards the arched entrance. He was greeted as
soon as he set foot in the chamber: his father caught him in a
tight hug.

‘Are you well, boy?’
were Peshan’s first words, and Shivan was touched by the concern
and love in his father’s voice.

Shivan knew he had been
the cause of great worry for his parents and his aunt, First
Daughter Lerran.

‘I am indeed,
father.’

Peshan held his son
away from him, studying his face closely. He nodded.

‘It is right that you
have travelled with Lady Tika. But don’t forget us, my son. Will
you have time to see your mother and sisters?’

Shivan shook his
head.

‘I must speak with
Corman and quickly. And perhaps see Aunt Lerran if she is well
enough?’

‘Lerran woke a few
moments ago. Go in to her and I will find Corman.’

Peshan hurried away
into the vastness of the Palace and Shivan went to the smaller arch
leading to the First Daughter’s most private rooms. When Corman and
Peshan entered Lerran’s bed chamber, they found Shivan sitting on
the side of the great bed beneath the intricately embroidered black
canopy. Lerran’s hand rested on Shivan’s. He was terrified by his
aunt’s fragility and he didn’t dare clasp her fingers for fear of
snapping the bones. But thankfully, her features were nearly
normal.

After the First
Daughter’s prolonged descent into the Dark, deeper than had ever
been taken before, her body had been hideously deformed. Now, her
face was almost as it had been; far thinner, but human again. Her
limbs were straight and her fingers had nails rather than talons.
Corman’s hand rested briefly on Shivan’s shoulder, pressing lightly
to indicate he should stay where he was.

Shivan explained what
Tika had learned in the Menedula building and asked specifically
for advice on the possibility of Babach having information he knew
nothing of. Shivan glanced down at the First Daughter as he
finished speaking and his heart lurched. Her huge golden eyes had
closed and she looked like a starved corpse. The fingers resting on
his flickered, and Corman spoke quietly.

‘Tika’s mind powers are
far greater than ours in many areas. It should be no problem for
her to discover what may be in this man’s head.’

‘He is very old
Corman,’ Shivan explained. ‘I think she respects him as a wise man,
and she has a fondness for him. He is shocked by the idea that
anyone might have tampered with his mind in the past. And Tika
fears to distress him by asking him to let her tamper, as he would
see it, with his mind now.’

‘There will be distress
for all in this battle.’ Lerran’s voice was the merest thread of
sound, and Shivan leaned closer. ‘In the face of necessity, things
must be done regardless of causing distress.’

The senior healer,
Mull, came to the other side of the bed, resting his fingers on the
First Daughter’s wrist. He shook his head at Corman and gestured to
the door. Corman retreated at once. Shivan bent closer and brushed
his lips against Lerran’s cheek.

‘Tika sent you her
love,’ he whispered and saw Lerran’s mouth twitch upwards very
slightly. He nodded to Mull and followed Corman, leaving his father
in the sick room.

Sword Master Favrian
and Shield Master Garrol waited in the great chamber with Corman.
Favrian launched straight into questions about any military
opposition Tika’s company had faced and was rather taken aback to
learn that there seemed no such thing as a military force in
Drogoya.

‘It is clear the whole
land has been hard hit by this plague of madness,’ Shivan
explained. ‘Volk, our guide, says whole communities have
died.’

‘Is this the same
illness Lady Emla spoke of?’ asked Corman.

Shivan shook his head.
‘Volk said people became mad, crazed, and did things almost
impossible to believe. But they died, fairly quickly. He and his
people think the great majority of the population is
gone.’

Garrol rubbed his chin.
‘His people?’

Shivan shifted from one
foot to the other. ‘Volk belongs to a different race of people from
most Drogoyans. He said none of his people were affected by last
summer’s plague.’

‘And what are these
people called?’

Shivan turned to find
Lord Cyrek leaning casually against the wall. He glanced back and
met Garrol’s bright blue eyes, so unusual in one of Dark blood.
Garrol gave the tiniest nod.

‘Volk and his people
call themselves Old Bloods.’

Before Cyrek could ask
more, Shivan spoke quickly to Corman. ‘I must return at once. It
seemed clear last night, that the child in the building is a tool
of the Splintered Kingdom. We are deciding on our plans as soon as
I get back.’

Corman nodded. ‘Dark
bless you boy.’

Almost as though he
understood Shivan’s reservations with regard to Lord Cyrek, Corman
immediately engaged Cyrek in an obscure query. Shivan made for the
roof terrace, Garrol beside him.

‘Is all well really,
lad?’ Garrol murmured as they reached the great arch.

‘Yes sir. Tika sent you
her love.’ Shivan grinned. ‘And Essa and Dog have the guards under
control, although they’re sweet enough to allow Sket to believe he
gives all the orders.’

Garrol snorted. ‘Sweet?
Those two? Take care of that young lady Tika for me. And – take my
love back to her.’ His face was serious as he stared at Shivan.
‘There are still troublesome things lurking here. I have to stay –
for the First Daughter.’

Shivan touched his left
thumb to his brow, his lips, his heart, then swept his hand, palm
up, towards the Shield Master.

‘Dark keep you
sir.’

He stepped away, his
body already swerving into his Dragon form. The Dragon rose,
higher, and vanished. Garrol continued to stand there for a moment,
his gaze fixed on the piece of sky where Shivan had been. Then his
left hand rose to touch his brow and he returned Shivan’s salute.
But his mind was on the young woman with brilliant green eyes, who
had called him “family”.

‘Mother Dark, keep all
of them safe. If it is your will.’

The Shield Master
turned to go back inside the Palace and found Favrian and Cyrek had
gone. Corman waited in the shadows within the archway.

‘Shivan has changed,’
Corman spoke softly although they were alone.

‘He has,’ Garrol
agreed.

‘He is using his
amazing mind without fear of constant reprimand at
last.’

Garrol nodded. Corman’s
voice dropped even lower.

‘He is cautious before
Cyrek.’

‘Tika told me that
Cyrek gave Shivan instructions to watch her closely when they were
in Kelshan. But she also told me there is already much that Cyrek
himself has failed to observe.’ Garrol sighed. ‘Until Chindar
revealed to us what he’d become, I would have laughed to scorn any
suggestion that a high Dark One would entertain thoughts of
treachery to this Realm.’

Corman touched Garrol’s
arm lightly. ‘Maybe not treachery, at least, not yet. But Lord
Cyrek has always had an overweening pride in what he considers his
immense intelligence.’

‘You know more of these
things than I do, Corman.’

The Palace-Keeper,
Jenniah, came in with her maids, carrying trays of food to tempt
the First Daughter’s appetite. Garrol, about to leave for his day’s
work with his Shield guards, paused.

‘I did wonder though. I
haven’t seen Seola for several days. Has she returned to the family
manor?’

Corman frowned. ‘Not as
far as I know. I’ll check that out. I’ve never been able to decide
which of those two is the craftiest, brother or sister.’

‘Craftiest?’

‘Oh yes. Cyrek is
clever, but Seola is his match in craftiness.’

‘I wish you’d told me
that before.’ Garrol frowned. Then he shrugged. ‘There’s little I
can do anyway.’

‘You can stay alert,
old friend. As must I.’

Chapter
Nine

It was just past noon
when Shivan arrived above Blue Mirror lake and the sun was warm
enough for Farn to be enjoying a basking session on the shore.
Shivan saw Essa glance up the instant he popped into view, and he
wondered whether it was just coincidence. His Dragon body spiralled
lower, skimming the water as he approached the grass near Farn.
Tika was at the back of the building, by the stables, with Dog and
Volk. They were watching Shea groom one of the horses and Volk was
nodding his approval.

‘Got a definite knack
she has,’ he told Tika. Then he grinned, big square teeth gleaming
in his beard. ‘Pity she’s not so keen on the riding.’

Shea threw a scowl in
Volk’s direction and carried on in dignified silence.

‘Seriously,’ Volk
continued. ‘That girl’s got a gift.’

Tika leaned on the wall
watching Shea. She had never attempted to touch the girl’s mind,
and she wouldn’t now. But perhaps, one day, she would ask Shea’s
permission to see if the girl had a morsel of power. Tika glanced
down. Dog squatted at her feet, her satchel open and two flat boxes
exposed. The engineer had removed the lid from one box and was
lovingly adjusting the wadding around a dozen apple sized clay
pots. Knowing what one of those pots could do, made Tika swallow
hard, but she stood her ground. She turned her attention back to
Volk.