Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (11 page)

Farn was at the bottom
looking up at her with his prismed eyes flashing dark blue sparks
edged with crimson. The darkness flicked out of his eyes as he
gazed at her, fading to the usual sapphire, and he turned back
towards Fenj, knowing Tika was safe.

Farn had been much
subdued after his wounding. Although he had healed physically quite
rapidly, he was still shocked by the great loss of blood he’d
suffered and by the sights he had seen. He had been greatly
distressed when Motass brought his brother Jal to meet him. It had
taken Farn a few moments to realise that Jal had no right arm
anymore. Farn was appalled and distraught. He imagined himself with
only one wing and became upset and withdrawn.

Tika had tried to offer
him comfort but until she persuaded him to talk with Fenj and
Lorak, there were a few days when she feared for Farn’s very
sanity. Fenj warned Tika that Farn’s mind was fragile. From
witnessing Krea’s murder in his earliest days, followed by the
violent and bloody battles with Shardi and Cansharsi, Fenj was
afraid that such things would always disturb the silver blue
Dragon’s mind.

Lorak supplied her with
a wallet of herbs and instructions on how to administer them should
the need arise if Farn suffered further shocks. Tika guessed that
Gan had also spoken with Fenj and was aware of Farn’s possible
limitations. Brin was always able to rouse Farn at least a little.
His tales of distant lands and strange animals and people, drew
Farn like a trailing thread drew Khosa’s children.

Now, Rhaki’s rooms had
been emptied and barred and Kija told Tika that Farn was able to
travel, although he could not carry his soul bond as yet. The Snow
Dragon, Ulla, had suggested she carry Tika. At the surprise
everyone expressed at her offer, she explained that she had a wish
to see where the Golden Lady dwelt. Brin would carry Drak and Kran,
Kija would take Gan and Sket.

As they made their
final plans one evening, there was a bustle and a stir from the
archway linking the stronghold with the Domain of Asat. The Dragons
turned to observe, as did everyone else. Discipline Senior Kera’s
tall figure strode into the hall, Senior Malesh beside her. She
stopped and stared at the three massive Dragons and the four
smaller ones before her, then a wide grin of delight spread over
her face.

‘My dears, I bring
messages from Emla, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to
meet you all at last!’

There were supplies on
their way through from the Domain, Kera explained and she had met
Nolli and Berri. She was eventually dragged off by Dessi to choose
chambers in the upper levels and Malesh then explained many details
Kera had left out. About the divisions among the Gathered Seniors,
for instance.

‘I have noticed two
legs need things explained frequently and simply before they manage
to understand.’ Khosa remarked from Tika’s lap.

Malesh laughed. ‘We had
an odd message by way of a Merig, Gan. Emla wondered whether to
send more Kephis or not.’

Khosa’s eyes blazed
furiously and she spat in a most unqueenly manner.

‘I think Khosa
expresses her agreement with my view that there are sufficient
Kephis here at present,’ Gan said, with feeling.

Kera rejoined them,
saying she had found a set of chambers that would suit Malesh and
herself on the highest level. They would be ideal as workroom and
living quarters.

They sat on in the
hall, talking long into the evening, Kera’s eyes rarely moving from
golden Kija. When finally Tika’s yawns proved too infectious, Kera
and Malesh rose as everyone prepared for rest. Kera approached Kija
quietly where she half reclined along the sidewall. Kera was taller
even than Gan and her face was level with the long delicate Dragon
face.

‘I know you begin a
hard journey tomorrow, beautiful one, but may I spend some time
learning to know you a little before you must go?’

Kija’s eyes whirred,
their facets rainbow shimmers as she studied the tall
figure.

‘I think so. You have
things I would know of in your mind. Sleep is of no urgency to me.
Yes. I will speak with you.’

Thus Discipline Senior
Kera of the People of Gaharn became the close friend of the golden
She Dragon Kija of the Broken Mountain Treasury, learning more of
the customs and ways of the Dragon Kin in that one long night than
any before her.

Chapter
Eight

Ryla and Emla had
extracted a bare handful of references to circles from Khalim’s
papers. Ryla was working on badly damaged scraps relating stories
humans had told the first People. When the People arrived on this
world, several of the younger ones had explored the lands to the
west, as far as the Salt Sea. They had noted plants, animals, human
settlements, and occasionally odd fragments of tales they’d heard
in their travels.

To Ryla’s fury, it
appeared no one had collected any of this information into a
coherent form. Clearly, most of the People had been concerned with
the building of Gaharn and cultivating the land around their
city.

‘Perhaps they were all
just too busy,’ suggested Emla.

‘Nonsense,’ Ryla
snapped. ‘There is always one who takes an interest in oddities and
strange facts.’

‘If that is so, where
is such a report? I know the sort of mind you mean, and such people
make notes of everything. They usually keep them neat and safe too.
Which again begs the question – where are those notes?’

Ryla scowled as she
shuffled more papers around the table. ‘Exactly.’

‘Jerak. He wouldn’t
have destroyed anything of that nature, would he?’ Emla asked,
suddenly fearful of Ryla’s answer.

Ryla sighed. ‘No of
course not, child. You would not know, but Jerak strongly opposed
the Seniors of the previous generation’s decision to censor the
knowledge we had access to. But he was constrained by the
continuing decision of the majority of the Gathering to keep silent
on many such things. Are you listening to me?’

‘No. I’m sorry.’ Emla’s
face shone with excitement. ‘A Dragon bespoke me Ryla. She says her
name is Kadi and she will be here before nightfall.’

Ryla stared at her.
‘Truly? Here? Oh Emla, let me be taken downstairs that I may meet
her. Please Emla, let’s be ready to welcome her
properly.’

Emla laughed
affectionately at the ancient Senior’s eager anticipation. She
glanced at the window where faint sunlight was still reflecting
from the snow-covered gardens.

‘Let me get the hall
really warm for you, then I promise I will have you brought
down.’

She pulled the bell
cord by the fireplace and Shan soon appeared. ‘My Lady?’

‘Make sure the fire in
the hall is blazing well, Shan. Lady Ryla will need two men to
carry her down there in a while.’

Shan looked surprised.
Emla grinned.

‘A Dragon is on her way
to us Shan! She is called Kadi.’

Shan beamed. ‘Really?
Oh it will be good to see a Dragon again, my lady. It’s odd, isn’t
it, how you seem to miss them?’

‘Yes Shan, it is
indeed.’ Emla laughed.

Ryla fussed until two
menservants arrived in the library and lifted her, chair and all,
and bore her down to the hall. She was placed beside the fire and
Shan bustled with extra quilts and pillows until Ryla was beside
herself with rage. Emla arrived with some spice tea as Ryla was
firmly refusing to be shielded with a screen – to save her from the
draughts from the already half-opened doors, as Shan
explained.

‘It’s all right Shan.
Let her see this Dragon come in, and put the screen around her
later if there is need.’ Emla said softly. ‘Leave her some dignity,
my dear.’

Shan’s round blue eyes
widened and she bit her lip. Surprisingly, she bent and kissed
Ryla’s pale thin cheek, and murmured: ‘Sorry my lady.’

Word had spread through
the household and an amazing number of staff found they had some
cause to be in or near the hall as a melodious call sounded from
the gardens. There was a great flurry of wings and a long pale blue
face peered in through the doors. It was rapidly withdrawn and
replaced by a larger, much darker, blue face. Servants hurried to
hold the doors wide and the great midnight blue Kadi advanced a
short way into the hall before rearing erect in formal
greeting.

‘May the stars guide
your path, Lady. I am Kadi of the Broken Mountain Treasury, and I
give you greeting.’

Before Emla could move,
three smaller Dragons crept inside the doorway. Kadi lowered
herself and her eyes flashed.

‘These are Kija’s three
other hatchlings Lady, and mischief could be the name for
each.’

Ryla’s rich laugh rang
out and she clapped her hands.

‘Oh my dear, it is such
a joy to greet you. I am Ryla, and too old to get to my feet to
give you proper greeting.’

Kadi looked at the
painfully thin creature, tall even sitting in the chair and bowed
her head gracefully.

‘May the stars guide
your path Lady. Kija’s children will make their greeting, then I
think they should rest,’ she said hopefully. ‘Ikram, second son of
Kija.’

The silvery blue male
was identical to Farn as he stretched up in the formal greeting. He
lowered himself, moved slightly to one side and sat
down.

A dreadful scream
alarmed everyone and Ikram leapt to his feet, eyes whirring in
panic. As he rose, a half-grown Kephi shot beneath a wooden chest.
An irate face peeped out as a series of wailing howls continued to
pierce eardrums. Ikram looked wildly from the Kephi to the Golden
Lady to Kadi.

‘I am most sorry Lady,’
he stuttered. ‘Of course, I would not have sat on it had I known it
was there. I meant it no harm!’

Emla felt Kadi’s wrath
rising and intervened quickly. ‘Certainly you would not Ikram. And
clearly the Kephi is unharmed.’

Ikram calmed himself
but remained standing.

‘This is Shar, first
daughter of Kija.’

The larger green blue
female gave formal greeting, her mind tone gentle and
polite.

‘And this is Nya,
second daughter of Kija.’

The smallest of the
three, a blue that was nearly mauve, greeted the Golden Lady,
sounding very like Ikram.

When Emla had replied,
she suggested the Dragons rest in the guest pavilions used by Kija
previously. Kadi’s relief was apparent and Emla quickly asked Shan
to conduct the three hatchlings there at once.

Shan smiled happily as
she went to the doors. ‘Come along then, and I’ll tell you of the
adventures we’ve had with your brother.’

Servants closed the
door after Shar’s tail had slid through and Kadi’s groan was
audible.

‘Are they truly that
bad?’ Ryla asked sympathetically.

‘Oh truly,’ Kadi
replied, then she admitted honestly: ‘Shar is quiet and eager to
learn, but the other two -. But I am old to foster hatchlings.
Maybe I would foster one, but three such as these.’

She left the thought
unfinished as she reclined beside Ryla, half-resting along the
wall.

‘Delighted as I am by
your presence Kadi, is there a reason that you have come here
now?’

‘Merigs informed me of
some happenings in the far north. They also said that Kija is on
her way here very soon. I thought the long journey from the south
might tire these three.’

Her tone left no doubt
that such a hope had proved fruitless.

‘The Merigs said that
Farn was injured?’

Emla sat on a stool by
Ryla’s chair. ‘He was, Kadi, grievously.’

Kadi’s prismed eyes
glittered in the firelight as she listened.

‘Tika healed him. I do
not know how. And Mim – did you meet Mim, and Ashta, daughter of
Hani? No? Mim is, was, a child of the Nagum people of the woodlands
beyond the Sun Mountains. He is now a Dragon Lord.’

Kadi’s eyes whirred a
muted blue, Emla and Ryla both sensing confusion at the term
‘Dragon Lord’.

‘And Brin joined them
before they reached the Delvers hidden Domain.’

Kadi snorted. ‘Brin!
Kija would not be pleased at that. They squabbled from their first
Gathering.’

‘Farn thinks Brin is
marvellous.’

‘Oh dear. Poor Kija
then.’

Emla failed to stifle a
yawn and Ryla saw it.

‘Bed for you, child. If
you could fetch me a large pot of tea, I will be happy here this
night.’

While Emla went for
Ryla’s tea, a small orange Kephi crept furtively around the edge of
the hall. Ryla started as it leaped onto her lap.

‘I am Bakra, son of
Khosa, and I wish to listen to this Dragon.’

Kadi lowered her head
and stretched her neck until her face was a mere handspan from the
Kephi’s.

‘Greetings Bakra. I
have not met such as you before.’

Next morning, Kadi took
the three young Dragons hunting beyond the boundaries of the Lady
Emla’s estate while Ryla was having her brief sleep. When the
Dragons returned, Emla suggested the young ones should get to know
any of her staff who wished to do so. ‘Outside, in the snowy
gardens,’ she added hastily.