Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (5 page)

‘How far did the poor
Merig have to fly?’ asked Dessi.

‘I think not far.’ It
was Mim who replied. ‘Ashta says the Merigs live only in small
family groups. So one family might live here, for instance, and
another family, three or four leagues away, the next another few
leagues, and so on. Messages could pass with great speed from group
to group.’

‘But Merigs don’t live
in the snow though Mim, so the last in the line would still have to
fly quite a lot further, and through the snow and wind.’

Mim grinned at her.
‘We’ll have to ask the next Merig we see.’

‘Merigs have their
uses, but they are ill mannered.’ Khosa announced from Lorak’s lap.
She had studiously ignored Gan while lavishing affection pointedly
on everyone else.

‘Did the Merigs say
when the Lady would send a relief band of Guards?’ Trem
asked.

‘Oh yes. Within three
days they should be here,’ replied Nolli. Toothless gums shone in
the bright lamplight as she smiled. ‘Some of Khosa’s children will
be with them.’

Gan winced.

It was early morning
many leagues across the Wilderness, in the cluster of gigantic
extinct volcanoes which the Vagrantians had made their refuge and
their home. Herdsmen checked their animals, as it was nearing the
birthing Season. Farmers and gardeners were tidying the detritus of
the last of the snow, and checking their groves of fruit trees.
Although so early in the Cycle, the sun felt warm again at last and
people found every excuse to get outside.

Elyssa paused to watch
a group of children skid shrieking across the black paved road in
pursuit of a ball, and smiled, turning her face up to the welcome
sunlight. She could stand so all day, she thought, but she began to
walk briskly on towards the central market place. The shops facing
the circular space were open for business. A few shopkeepers had
even hopefully pulled the striped awnings out to shade their
goods.

Elyssa nodded to
several people and called replies to comments on the lovely morning
as she crossed the market place. She turned down a narrow lane
lined with shops selling the smaller crafted goods: jewellery, fine
cloth, wooden and stone carvings, and emerged at the gateway to the
Corvida. The gates of finely wrought iron were, as always, wide
open, and as Elyssa walked across the two chains width of gardens
to the building, she noticed tiny flowers bursting up at the edges
of the paths.

A few days warmth and
it seemed everything wanted to reach out to the sun. With a last
glance at the blue sky and the flowering forecourt, Elyssa turned
into the Corvida. She took the stairs two at a time and stopped at
the second landing to get her breath. She took the next two flights
at a steadier pace and arrived at Alya’s door, flushed but at least
not puffing.

She tapped the open
door but receiving no reply, poked her head into the room. The big
window at the end of the room was open and Elyssa saw that Alya was
out on the balcony, bent over some plant tubs. Alya looked up as
Elyssa stepped onto the balcony.

‘Isn’t it a wonderful
day?’ she smiled. She waggled earth-covered fingers at Elyssa. ‘Let
me wash and you can ready some tea. I couldn’t resist putting some
of the plants back outside.’

Elyssa was standing by
the balcony door sipping her mug of tea when Alya returned and sat
at the table. Reluctantly Elyssa turned her back on the window and
dropped into a chair opposite Alya.

‘It was another long
night last night,’ Alya said, holding her mug so that the fragrant
steam drifted over her face. ‘No one seems prepared to offer any
solutions let alone take any decisions.’ She pushed some of the
papers to the side of the table. ‘I’ve been through history after
journal after history, and the first recorders had no ideas which
would help us now. Temno is firm only to ‘maintain our isolation’,
as he puts it.’ She snorted. ‘In other words, pretend nothing’s
happened and hope nothing worse does – in his lifetime
anyway.’

‘I never understood why
he made such a fuss about being made a full councillor – he’s
always been interested only in his own comforts.’

‘Hmm. There is no
positive harm in him, but there is certainly no thought for anyone
else.’ Alya put her empty mug firmly on the table and pulled some
papers back in front of her as she picked up a pen. ‘There are
still journals to go through – I’ve written down the names.’ She
handed a scrap of paper to Elyssa.

‘And I’m to go and find
them?’ Elyssa pushed her chair back. ‘The archives, on a morning
like this,’ she muttered as she trudged to the door.

Alya laughed. ‘They
won’t be too hard to find, now that we have at least found the
section they were all buried in,’ she consoled her.

The sky had changed
from brilliant blue to a soft green, in which two large stars shone
low above the encircling rim of Parima, the first settled volcanic
crater of Vagrantia. Although the air had cooled quickly once the
sun set, people still lingered out of doors. Neighbours chatted
over low fences and children had managed to avoid being sent to bed
at the proper times.

Lights began to glow in
the houses as more stars pricked through the darkening sky. The
Corvida, built against the volcano’s inner wall, showed an
increasing number of lights in the upper storeys. Elyssa came out
of the building, yawning, and noticed that the tiny flowers had
closed their petals tight against the colder night-time air. She
wrapped her arms across herself, wishing she’d thought to bring a
jacket this morning after all. She glanced back from the gateway
and up to the second from top storey.

Alya’s window behind
the balcony glowed a pale gold. It would be a good while yet before
she stopped work and took some rest, Elyssa knew. She had offered
to stay, stifling her yawns, but Alya had told her to go on
home.

‘At least one of us
will be fresh in the morning,’ she said.

Elyssa turned away and
hurried back across the town, the street lamps guiding her safely
home. Her mind switched from the worries of the last few days to
anticipation of what her mother might have waiting for her supper.
And that thought hastened her steps even more.

Chapter
Four

Emla had installed Ryla
in a room close to the library. Ryla was old, one of the first of
the People born in Gaharn, and the last survivor of that
generation. Her tall body was desperately frail but her mind was as
acute as it had ever been. Even the short journey from Gaharn to
the Golden Lady’s House, accomplished in a carrying chair padded
with soft pillows and quilts and borne as carefully as the Guards
could manage, had exhausted her.

Ryla lay for two days
waiting for her ancient body to recover, quite clearly furious at
her own weakness. Emla, Shan and Bara had cared for her and tried
to distract her with general gossip and tempt her poor appetite
with tasty dishes and morsels of sweet pastries.

On the third morning,
Ryla insisted on getting out of bed, dressing, and starting to help
work through Emla’s books. She was unable to hide her relief
though, as Bara eased her into a straight-backed wooden armchair,
half filled with pillows. But she was sitting there when Emla came
into the library after doing her usual rounds of the sick Guards,
and speaking to her housekeeper and to Soran. Emla opened her mouth
to protest that Ryla was not fit to be out of bed, and closed it
again when she saw the glint in Ryla’s eye.

‘This business of the
circles Emla,’ Ryla began. ‘It worries me greatly. My earliest
memories are of everyone arguing about them, and having a hundred
different opinions as to their significance.’

‘Did no one suggest a
detailed study of them?’ Emla slid into a chair beside
Ryla.

‘Not as far as I
recall. There must be some record somewhere of at least one
Senior’s ideas on the matter.’ She frowned, tugging her long white
braid of hair as she thought. ‘As you can see, I am physically
unable to get to the archives and spend hours, if not days, rooting
through the oldest scrolls. But Kera began to search and she told
me that it appears someone else had preceded her, only recently
too. And she felt several sections of documents were
missing.’

‘But who would have
taken them? Could the Archive Senior not tell her? All documents
have to be signed for if they are removed, don’t they?’

‘But no one did sign
out any documents in those days prior to your speech to the
Gathering. Apparently.’

Emla pulled her lower
lip between her fingers. ‘I admit I only thought the circles were
the same because whoever designed them, liked them the same. But
the circles in the Guardian’s stronghold are identical to the two
here in Gaharn. We know there must be one in the far western lands.
One of the fighters said that Rhaki had visited at least two towns
in Sapphrea several times, but Bark’s estimate of the length of
time that Rhaki was gone means he could not have travelled in any
orthodox manner.’

Ryla sighed. ‘Poor
Bark. His death raises him above us all, but how we failed him
Emla.’

Tears welled in Emla’s
eyes. ‘His mind had been torn apart, yet he would not say Rhaki did
it deliberately even knowing how mad my brother seemed to have
become.’

‘You know, there was
much debate in the Asataria just before Rhaki was Named Guardian.
He was on the verge of being the only Junior to be refused
Seniorship.’

Emla stared. ‘I never
knew that. I thought he was considered one of the cleverest of our
generation.’

Ryla smiled coldly.
‘Rhaki had that opinion of himself and the charm to convince many
it was truly so. But a number of his instructors had grave doubts.
The intelligence was there, but there was always a wavering of the
direction to which he might turn that intelligence.’

‘And did Jerak know of
the concerns you all had?’

Ryla pulled her shawl
closer round her narrow shoulders. ‘Jerak was fiercely opposed to
Rhaki being Named.’

At Emla’s expression of
surprise, Ryla nodded. ‘It was kept well behind closed doors, my
dear. Rhaki was the blood nephew to Kovas, clearly he was
‘destined’ to be Named. Jerak confessed that the flaws he had
sensed in Rhaki in boyhood had worsened. He actually suggested
exile or death – he said Rhaki, his own son, was unworthy to be
sent beyond.’

Someone rapped at the
door and Shan entered at Emla’s call. She set down a tray of tea
and honey rolls in front of Emla. As she plumped up the pillows
surrounding Ryla and readjusted the cover over her knees, she
said:

‘Lord Kemti says the
Lady Kera will be here before dark, my Lady. And is it all right if
I spend a while longer training this afternoon, if you are busy
here my Lady?’

Emla grinned. ‘Yes you
may. Do try not to get yourself too bruised again
today.’

Shan blushed but smiled
back as she slipped out of the library door.

Ryla unclenched her
teeth. ‘That child means well I know, but I wish she didn’t have to
rearrange me every time she sets eyes on me!’Emla turned away to
hide a smile, busying herself with pouring tea. Then she looked at
Ryla quickly, surprised again by her next words.

‘I don’t know why there
is such a fuss over your allowing girls to train with the blade. It
was not uncommon in my youth and before that, too. I’ve never
understood why it faded out of custom.’

‘Were females treated
differently when you were young then Ryla, or the same as males? I
remember an argument I had when I was a Junior – I really wanted to
learn smithing, but I was told I wouldn’t have the physical
strength and my request was dismissed out of hand.’

Ryla laughed. ‘Females
and males did what they felt called to do then, but I think the
People were more practical in my time. Gaharn was not completed
until I was just ending my Seniorship, and everyone worked with
their hands at something. Once Gaharn was built, and the region
regulated, we seemed to have let the practical things go,
concentrating now on only theories, ideas, dreams.’

‘That’s what Kemti
said. And Nolli, the Delvers’ Wise One too.’

Ryla shifted on her
pillows. ‘I would dearly love to meet her.’

Emla clasped one of
Ryla’s almost transparent hands. ‘Nolli is ancient. How she
travelled so far north, stars know. Her bones are twisted and
greatly painful to her. I think she would love to visit here but it
would be too much for her.’

‘Age!’ snorted Ryla.
‘We are supposed to gain wisdom as we age but by the time we do,
we’re too feeble to do anything with it. Come on. Let’s start
looking for any mention of the circles in your books. And any tales
of Dragons or Delvers as well.’

Replies were coming in
to Hargon from the neighbouring Lords to whom he had written
concerning Rhaki’s appearance here. The one letter that interested
him most was from Seboth, Lord of Far. Seboth told Hargon that one
of Rhaki’s fighters had joined Seboth’s armsmen. When he was told
of Rhaki’s apparent plan to settle in Sapphrea, Verim had paled and
fallen to his knees before Seboth.