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

Now voices were raised
from the sections where the Seniors and Discipline Seniors were
seated. The Juniors were silent, listening in astonishment. Emla
spoke softly to a Junior sitting nearest her and he fled, returning
with a pitcher of water and a goblet. By the time she had drunk
half a gobletful, order was nearly restored.

‘By what right did you
appoint these two, neither of them of the People and both scarcely
of Junior age, to the Guardianship?’

It was a white haired
female Discipline Senior who called the demand. Emla stared up at
her.

‘Ryla, I did not Name
them. The Delver Wise One Named them and I concurred.’

‘How could you permit
it?’ Another voice asked. Emla turned to the new
questioner.

‘Fayet, our People have
Named two Guardians, Kovas and Rhaki. The Balances were here when
we first came to this land. Who had guarded them before we presumed
to do so and who invited us to do so then?’

The eyes of the Juniors
switched from Emla to their elders, transfixed by this
unprecedented argument.

Discipline Senior Harak
spoke again. ‘Do you tell us it was one of these – Delvers? – who
had charge of the Balance before?’

‘I do not know. Their
Wise One clearly has more knowledge of many of these things than we
do. I did not ask her those questions but she is willing to talk to
us. Her dreamers have warned her of great changes, and after the
long Cycles her people have spent in self imposed isolation, she
says she will now speak with us. You will have to go to her though,
she is too ancient and frail to journey here.’ Emla
added.

Fayet snorted. ‘So now
we are summoned by some hitherto unknown race to listen to their
ramblings leagues from here?’

Emla frowned. ‘The Wise
One has offered to share her knowledge. I believe she would be
saddened if this Gathering scorned her offer. But it would make no
difference to the Delvers attempt to continue what they see now as
a battle for the future.’ She looked slowly around the Chamber. ‘I
will leave you as obviously there is much for you to – discuss.’
Her green eyes gleamed with something close to scorn. ‘If you
decide to send a delegation to the north, I would be glad to send a
guide from my Guards.’

She retraced her steps,
taking her cloak from a blushing Junior with a smile of thanks and
left the Gathering. She crossed the stone-floored area outside to
where Shan and Soran awaited her, as Kemti hurried from further
down the corridor. He had slipped in to sit among the Seniors to
hear Emla and he looked deeply troubled as he joined her. A serving
man in dark green livery approached, bowing low to the Golden
Lady.

‘The Discipline Senior
Kera would speak with you, if you could spare her your time,
Lady.’

Emla nodded. ‘I will be
in her rooms shortly.’

The man bowed again and
left.

‘Soran, come with me
please. Shan and Riff also. The rest of you get some food. I will
send when I am ready to leave.’

‘I know Kemti,’ she
forestalled him. ‘Worse than we thought. Could you invite yourself
to a meal with some of those – geniuses? See how many are open to
change if you can in the brief time we will be here.’

Kemti nodded, turning
off into another corridor, leading to the Seniors’ common dining
hall.

‘They did not believe
you Lady?’ Soran asked quietly.

‘They didn’t want to
believe me Soran. They are comfortable as they are. They fear
change might make them less comfortable,’ she grinned at him. ‘As
it surely will.’

They had been climbing
stairs as they spoke and another two turns brought them
to

a door made of light
oak. The corridor ended just beyond the door and an alcoved window
was set in the end wall. As Emla indicated that her three escorts
should wait for her there, footsteps whispered on the stone floor
behind them. Discipline Senior Kera rounded the corner and smiled,
reaching her hand to catch Emla’s.

‘Come in, come
in.’

Kera threw her faded
brown cloak at a hook on the wall, missed, and dropped herself into
the chair behind her desk.

‘You’ve stirred them up
this time and no mistake.’ Kera said, watching Emla retrieve the
cloak and hang it, with her own, on the hook. Kera’s tone
changed.

‘I was appalled at
Iska’s death. And Bark! I don’t think anyone had spared him a
thought in stars know how long. Doesn’t say much for us, does it
Emla?’

Emla sat in a chair
between the desk and the hearth.

‘On the contrary. I
think it perhaps says more than we would like.’

There was a soft rap at
the door and a maid brought in a tray with bowls of steaming broth
and a covered basket of hot bread.

‘Thank you,’ Kera
smiled. ‘Would you bring something for the Lady’s escort
please?’

Emla tore a crust from
one of the rolls and chewed hungrily.

‘Kera, I can count on
your support in this.’

There was a faint query
in her tone. Kera glared, her mouth too full to answer at once. She
swallowed and coughed.

‘You should know you
can Emla. It is clear that the Asataria is going to be divided in
all directions, but there are those I can be sure will be prepared
for change.’ She gave Emla a sharp look as she sipped some of the
broth. ‘I think you will find quite a few of the oldest are more
ready than the younger ones. Ryla for example, despite what you may
have assumed just now, has been concerned at what she terms ‘our
stagnation’ for quite a while. Whereas that fool Fayet and his
cronies hate the very notion of change.’

Kera tore off another
chunk of bread.

‘How do these Delvers
live under the mountains though?’

‘I only entered their
Domain to see Iska and Bark laid to rest, but Tika and Mim
described gardens and fields in caverns opening to the outer lands,
where the Delvers seem to grow most crops. They also keep volu for
milk and cheese, and lumen for wool. In the warmer seasons, they
graze them on the slopes close to the entrances to the
Domain.’

Emla swallowed some of
her broth.

‘There are Snow Dragons
too, much smaller than the ones we knew of here, and in the cold
seasons they spend more time inside the Domain. I think they hunt
for the Delvers sometimes, although Mim said Delvers use bows and
snares to catch meat.’

Kera chewed
thoughtfully for a while.

‘Of course you didn’t
bother to keep a journal, or make any notes?’

Emla choked on her
broth.

‘We were a trifle
occupied Kera, trying to stay alive. Hardly favourable conditions
for writing reports for you.’

Kera grinned at
her.

‘Only a thought dear
one!’

Emla grunted. Then she
said quietly: ‘The two bonded ones are changed Kera. Tika healed
her soul bond of a wound such as I would believe mortal. She knew
how to use a blade, yet Gan said she was barely adequate with it.
And Mim – he is a Dragon Lord.’

Kera looked
blank.

‘He is covered with
tiny scales.’ Emla nodded at Kera’s gasp. ‘He seems to be able to
regulate his body temperature as do the Dragons. He is no longer
the shy and simple Nagum boy of a few weeks ago.’

Kera stood up and paced
to the window. She stared out over the courtyards ringing the
Asataria buildings and drummed her fingers on the window
frame.

‘Emla, will you let me
speak to Ryla of what you have told me? She herself is too frail to
travel far but she would be a strong advocate here for making the
People wake up to reality. Are you staying at your House for now,
or returning to the north?’

‘The Wise One of the
Delvers said my place is here, especially now.’ Emla admitted. ‘I
would prefer to go north and observe Dessi and Mim as they take
control of that Realm. Why?’

‘Come with me, and we
will speak to Ryla – you don’t know her that well, do
you?’

‘I never took the
courses she taught, no.’

‘If you find her
congenial, why do you not work with her and whoever else you can
persuade to force some action from the sleepwalkers here? I would
dearly love to travel north myself.’

‘Huh! I thought you had
some such plan worked out!’ Emla shrugged. ‘It seems I must not go,
so I would rather you were one of any who do go north.’

Kera snatched her cloak
from the hook, whirling it around her shoulders.

‘Let’s go and talk with
old Ryla then!’

Chapter
Two

After Rhaki’s first day
of cutting blocks of stone, he organised a team of labourers to
hoist them onto wagons and transport them to the site of his
projected tower. He had been prostrated by the effort required to
cut the first blocks and used the excuse of moving them to give
himself a day to recover. When he saw the difficulties the
labourers had lifting the stone into the wagon beds, he arranged
that four wagons be left empty at the quarry. When he cut the next
blocks, he floated them directly into the wagons ready for their
transport the following morning. He found himself growing more used
to drawing such amounts of power. Although the effort still made
him swoon, he regained awareness sooner each time.

Lord Hargon’s scouts
had reported on seeing Rhaki’s collapse in the quarry the first
time he cut stone. But Hargon’s delight at that information soon
vanished, as it became apparent that Rhaki’s strength was
increasing.

‘But there is still a
time immediately afterwards, when he is unaware, Sir,’ Navan
pointed out. ‘He could be killed then.’

‘Have any approached
him when he is unconscious?’ Hargon asked. ‘You know he can put
invisible walls round himself. You remember that time when he had
my men try to attack him as a jest, and none could touch him? I
would not be surprised if he could arrange protection like that
when he collapses.’

‘Would that not also
need strength Sir?’ Navan stroked a finger along the edge of
Hargon’s worktable. ‘I thought perhaps one of the men could dress
as a labourer or a farm hand, and see if he can touch Lord Rhaki
when he falls to the ground? If Rhaki woke, my man could say he was
but concerned that the Lord was hurt or taken sick?’

Hargon’s chair scraped
the stone floor as he stood. He leant at the side of the window,
rubbing his forehead.

‘When first this Lord
appeared here, I thought to use him for my own purposes. All the
lands far west, even to the Salt Sea, all of Sapphrea in fact, I
thought with his aid could become one realm under my dominion. Now
I admit to you Navan, I fear him. He seemed pleasant enough but I
think there is madness in him now. And to trust a madman would be
very stupid, not to say dangerous.’

A rap at the door
interrupted their conversation.

‘Come,’ Hargon
called.

An armsman entered,
closing the door behind him.

‘Sirs, a peddler from
the north has arrived. The gate sentries brought him here. You
ordered any from the north to be questioned Sir.’

Navan rose as Hargon
moved back behind his table. ‘Bring him here.’

‘Yes Sir.’

The armsman opened the
door wide and a man was pushed into the room. He was a thin,
balding man in a patched cloak and his eyes darted fearfully from
the armsmen to the Lord of Return.

Hargon waved his hand
at his men. ‘Bring some ale for this traveller.’ He inclined his
head. ‘I am Hargon, Lord of Return. I think perhaps my men were
over zealous in their treatment of you, for which I apologise.
Please,’ he indicated a chair. ‘Do be seated. I am greatly
interested to hear of any news of the northern lands. You heard of
those monstrous beasts that plagued us here recently maybe? That is
why I wish to speak with any travellers from the north.’

Hargon paused as a
servant brought in a large pitcher and three earthenware mugs. He
poured ale into all three mugs and set one before the peddler and
looked at him expectantly.

‘My name is Kasito, Sir
Lord. I have been to this town only once before. Long ago, with my
uncle who was a trader. I have no family now so I wander where I
choose. I was in Gaharn City a Cycle ago and I have been journeying
around the Middle Plains, buying and selling as I go.’ He took a
sip of the ale, then a longer pull. ‘Good ale, Sir Lord. The
monsters you spoke of,’ he shuddered. ‘I saw some at Larna – in the
Middle Plains close by the Spine Mountains. They killed many of the
people and carried off several children.’ He drained his mug of
ale. ‘They eat whatever they kill you know. Only two of the
monsters were killed by the townspeople – I have no idea how many
of the things are roaming those lands Sir Lord. I am sorry to be of
little help.’

Hargon poured Kasito
more ale.

‘And other news? Of
Gaharn, or the northernmost realms?’ he asked casually.

Kasito frowned. ‘I met
a couple of traders I know. They said there was trouble there. The
Grey Guardian had fled his stronghold they’d heard. Dragons and the
Golden Lady’s Guards and a strange race who live inside the High
Land Mountains chased him out.’ Kasito shrugged. ‘I know not what
truth there be in such tales Sir Lord. The traders told me as
they’d heard it from merchants nearer to Gaharn, but I would not
swear to any of that, Sir Lord.’