She had little time to save either herself, or Farn, let alone both of them. Lerran floated in the Dark, moving slowly up to the fifth level. She forced herself to patience, waiting for the sense of thinning, of relaxation in the barrier ahead, then pushed them through. The Dark felt cold; it should feel much warmer. Lerran understood that this coldness meant she was dangerously weak. She snatched at a pocket of strength which came from something near her, but she no longer felt surrounded by the great cloud of power as she had on her descent. Could Corman drag them through the last four levels? She made her decision and began to rise again, sending three pulses of thought into the world outside the Dark.
Hag screamed high above Lady Emla’s House in Gaharn. Then she closed her wings and plummeted down. She glimpsed those feathered abominations – gijan – together with three Dragons beside one of the Pavilions. She landed and two of Lady Emla’s guards eyed the great bird with apprehension. Hag cackled, her heavy beak agape, and hopped up the shallow steps to the closed doors. She tilted her head to make sure the guards were watching, cackled again and the doors burst open.
Hag remained at the doorway, watching those within with interest. But she only wanted Cyrek and he took his time before joining her outside.
‘What do you want Hag?’ he demanded. ‘Don’t waste my time.’
Hag huffed, strutting back towards the steps. ‘First Daughter sent me with your orders.’ She tilted her head, a black eye rimmed with gold staring up at Cyrek intently.
‘Tell me quickly.’
Cyrek hurried back into the Pavilion to Seola’s side. He murmured softly and she nodded, reaching for the old herb woman Nenat, both of them drawing back towards the wall. Kija watched Cyrek closely and moved now to curl around her son’s motionless body. Lady Emla held the cat, Khosa, against her shoulder as she also moved towards Farn, concerned that his mother had sensed a change in his condition. In his turn, Nesh closed up to Emla, his arm round her waist. Cyrek moved to kneel by the unconscious silver blue Dragon. Eyes blazing gold, he looked up at Emla.
‘The First Daughter is in gravest peril, but she is nearly risen, with this one’s mind. We must be close. Will you come?’
Emla and Nesh nodded as one. Cyrek spoke a single phrase, and the six of them vanished from Gaharn.
In the Karmazen Palace, Tika tried to rise and was horrified at her weakness. Healers and nurses had all rushed forward but Sergeant Essa, already beside her, put two great hands under Tika’s armpits and lifted her effortlessly to a sitting position while the nearest nurse pushed pillows behind her for support. A sudden wail came from across the chamber and heads turned. The cat on Shea’s bed slid awkwardly to the floor, staggered and fell. Tevros hurried to pick up the animal and carried it to the woman at once. The cat’s claws dug into the bed covers and he pulled himself closer to Tika.
Her green eyes seemed magnified, shining with tears, her hands reaching shakily towards the cat. ‘Akomi,’ she whispered. She looked wildly at the people gathered round her. ‘Where is Sket?’
It was Sergeant Essa who put a hand on her shoulder and indicated the cot hidden behind the crowd of nurses. They moved aside and the man was visible, moving restlessly, his eyelids fluttering. Two healers bent over him at once but now Tevros was beside her.
‘Can you tell me how your friend was hurt? His hand is mending but his head has had a severe blow.’
Tika stared at Tevros in confusion, her arms trembling as she gathered the cat close. ‘He hit his head before, but Jakri said it was nearly mended. Perhaps he hit it again when we fell.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Where is Farn?’ Her voice rose. ‘Where is he?’
‘Hush now, hush.’ A new voice broke in. ‘I am Coby child. I know that Farn is what you term soul bond to you, yes?’ Coby sat on the edge of the cot and covered Tika’s hands with her own. ‘We do not know exactly how long since you were snatched away to the place we call the Splintered Kingdom, but Farn was not taken. His grief at your disappearance has ravaged his mind.’
Tika gasped and crumpled over the cat. One of Coby’s hands began to stroke the mottled fur of the cat’s back.
‘Our First Daughter has descended into the Dark to find your Farn’s soul and return it to his body.’
‘She can do this?’
Coby didn’t falter. ‘She has nearly returned to us and she has Farn in her grasp. You have been brought to this Karmazen Palace in the Dark Realm. We are half a world away from your own lands.’ Coby saw the rising panic in Tika’s strange eyes. ‘Dark Lords were sent to rescue you, and Dark Lords have gone to your land. A gateway will be opened and Farn will be brought here. No, I do not know exactly when, but he will be brought. Now, I think that’s enough explanations for the time being child.’
No one who didn’t know Coby well could have recognised how forced was her tone and the accompanying smile. ‘Make a fuss of your cat – the poor old fellow’s been through as much as you have I’d guess.’
The cat turned his head over Tika’s arm and his golden eyes met Coby’s.
‘I thank you all for saving me too.’ His words rang in the minds of all, and all stared in astonishment at the tatty old cat. ‘I’m quite hungry,’ he added, and blinked.
Coby got to her feet. ‘I must attend the First Daughter, but I’ll have food sent.’ She paused.
‘Akomi. His name is Akomi,’ Tika said shakily.
‘Akomi,’ Coby repeated, and departed. She sent maids hurrying for food and then went back to the First Daughter’s bed chamber.
She caught her breath. She’d been gone such a short time yet the body on the bed had wasted even further. Lerran’s face was a skull covered with a tight layer of thin skin. Veins and capillaries threaded their way beneath but the movement of the blood was sluggish. Coby turned back, calling for healers. She instructed them to remove Harith: he was unconscious, his hand no longer gripping Lerran’s. Coby took his place, flinching as she lifted the First Daughter’s hand. It was a cold bundle of fragile bones, the rings slipping loose.
She finally looked across Lerran’s body at Corman. His gold eyes had dulled but they were still fixed on the First Daughter. Coby concentrated, sending her mind carefully to the threshold of Lerran’s, braced for whatever she might find.
‘No.’ Corman’s voice was faint but insistent. ‘Coby, reach through me. I nearly have them.’
Coby altered her focus, channelling her strength to Corman. She ignored Lerran’s suddenly rapid breathing, ignored the gasps, the tremors she could feel through their joined hands, pouring all of herself to bolster Corman’s depleted power. Coby was distantly aware of Alloc’s presence, of his hands on her shoulders, of his strength in turn, sustaining her. Without warning, it was gone. Coby snapped back to herself, her eyes going immediately to the frail body on the bed.
A handful of tiny glittering particles seemed to drift above Lerran’s pillows, and Coby could do nothing but stare. This she had never seen – the physical essence of a living soul. Alloc’s hands tightened on her shoulders. She heard his whisper.
‘Oh Dark be merciful!’
Corman leaned forward, at last releasing Lerran’s hand. He studied the drifting particles. ‘Lerran is there. She should not be, but the Dragon is much afraid. Somehow she has won a measure of his trust, but to keep that trust, she has had to emerge fully like this, with him.’
‘How long can they remain this way?’ Coby asked hesitantly.
‘Not long at all.’ Before Corman could say more, there was a noise from the main chamber beyond the archway. He leaned closer to Lerran. ‘They are here First Daughter. Guide him safely and return to yourself with all speed.’
Coby saw Chindar waiting at the door as the glowing ball of tiny specks rose higher, drifting in that direction. Chindar appeared to lead the way, the ball slowly following him. Coby followed too, mesmerised by what she was witnessing.
The great chamber was silent but for the sound of sobbing. Coby saw healers and nurses standing and sitting as if turned
to statues. In the centre of the chamber stood two very tall thin strangers, a man and a woman. Coby recognised Cyrek with some relief, for behind the Dark Lord lay a great gold scaled Dragon, its prismed eyes whirring in golds and scarlets. One wing was partially extended over a much smaller Dragon whose scales were a dull greyish blue. The small woman Tika, was huddled between the Dragons, her sobs the only sound in the chamber.
Coby saw Cyrek reach up to touch the golden Dragon while Chindar came nearer. The eerie ball of tiny lights floated where he led. Chindar stopped, began to murmur words that even Coby, for all her long research and study, didn’t understand. His hands moved rapidly, fingers weaving intricate patterns above the smaller Dragon. A portion of the sparkles split away from the rest, sinking lower until they touched the Dragon scales. Then they vanished.
Chindar waited then he turned to the remaining light specks. His hands flickered faster and Coby recognised spells of most powerful command. The lights elongated and shot back towards Lerran’s bed chamber. Nothing had changed: the small Dragon still lay unmoving, Tika sobbing against him. Coby returned to Lerran. The First Daughter looked tiny, a miniature, wizened child. Coby went to a large chest and took blankets from a drawer. She was spreading them over Lerran when a breeze riffled through the room and she saw Corman turn his head sharply.He pushed himself to his feet, placing himself between the woman on the bed and the woman who now stood behind his chair. Coby sagged against the bed realising who the new arrival was before Corman spoke her name.
She was beautiful, with a beauty such as Coby had never seen. Her eyes were perfectly shaped under slender brows, a light colour with gold flecks in their depths. Her figure was graceful, a narrow waist emphasising her full bosom and hips. Dark red hair hung loosely curling over her shoulders and her mouth curved in a bewitching smile.
‘Ferag.’ Corman’s tone was flat. ‘What do you here?’
The lovely smile became a pout. ‘That’s no way to welcome me. Not if you want me to help your little plans along – the ones we discussed the other day.’
‘Those plans need no further discussion for now, most definitely not in this place. Why are you here?’
Ferag took a step to the side and Corman matched her, remaining between her and the First Daughter. Coby shrank back. The flecks in Ferag’s eyes blazed with an anger which slowly faded to a glow of annoyance.
‘Poor Lerran. I’ve seen her look better I must say.’ The smile reappeared. ‘Don’t worry so, Corman. She cannot pass through to my domain, not just yet.’
Corman’s rigid shoulders relaxed a little. ‘I confess I wasn’t sure,’ he admitted. ‘So will she mend?’
‘Well I didn’t say that.’ The pout was back. Ferag stepped closer to the bed, one finger on Corman’s chest which caused him to stumble as though he’d been violently pushed. ‘Hmm. At least as long as the last time – perhaps a full year. Poor darling.’ She gave Corman a bright smile and bent to peer into Coby’s face. ‘You might be fun when you come to me.’
Coby looked ill with horror and Ferag straightened. ‘It’s not as bad as that,’ she sniffed. Her dress, the darkest red, like her hair, made no sound as an unnatural wind ruffled the long skirt and loose sleeves. ‘See you soon darling. I do so like discussions with you.’ Ferag blew Corman a kiss, and vanished.
Corman touched Coby’s cheek. ‘She’s not bad, just has a bizarre sense of humour and is totally untrustworthy.’ He gave her a wry shrug.
Alloc entered the chamber with the two most senior healers in the Palace, Mull and Cutha. They had waited, reserving their strength for the First Daughter’s need. Waxin Pule accompanied them, his face paling at his first sight of Lerran. Mull tapped Corman’s arm.
‘You must recoup your strength Corman, and you Coby.’ His tone was firm and brooked no argument.
He waited until Corman helped Coby up and had taken her from the chamber before he turned to his patient. ‘Mother Dark be merciful and help us in this task.’
Waxin Pule approached the bed. ‘You say she has recovered from something this bad before?’ he asked in disbelief.
Cutha smiled grimly. ‘This is worse, and she is older by a thousand years or more. But yes, she recovered before.’
‘I can scarcely detect a pulse,’ Pule protested, laying Lerran’s bony wrist back by her side.
Cutha sighed. ‘We work on her body Waxin. All day and all night, every day and every night. We don’t know where she is, or how long it will take for her to get back. She has to gather all the pieces of herself before she can be as she was.’
Mull began removing the covers. ‘It took half a year last time.’ He met Waxin Pule’s eyes. ‘This will take longer.’
The strain of the last days caught up with Coby near the great chamber. Her knees gave way and Corman handed her over to nurses who took her off to the infirmary. Corman found himself being pushed unceremoniously into a chair and a goblet of the blood drink thrust into his hand. He drank half the contents straight down, before grunting his thanks to Favrian. Then Corman saw the two Dragons. He stared, took another swallow.
‘They are smaller than us,’ he said. ‘Is the young one showing any awareness?’
Favrian shook his head. ‘Tevros and Kija – the gold one – she’s Farn’s mother – say he should sleep again, not be forced awake yet. His mind was damaged before this, soon after his birth. They use mind speech by the way, as do those two cats.’
‘Cats?’ Corman frowned. ‘What cats?’
‘One we brought back from the Splintered Kingdom and the other came with the Lady Emla from Gaharn.’
Corman leaned his head back against the chair and groaned. ‘Tell me the rest later,’ he begged.
He looked across at the Dragons again then around the chamber. ‘Where’s Seola, or Jemin for that matter?’
‘Still in Gaharn. Cyrek opened the gateway.’
Corman focused on Favrian. ‘And you my friend? Are you unhurt? And Peshan?’
Favrian grimaced. ‘We’re in one piece at least. Gossamer Tewk’s courage was more than I’d thought possible, and the child too. The child was burned quite badly though.’ Favrian refilled Corman’s goblet. ‘Things have certainly got interesting of late, wouldn’t you agree?’
He laughed at Corman’s expression of disgust.
The small orange cat, Khosa, had leaped from Emla’s arms to Akomi crouched on a low bed. She began to give him a thorough wash, scolding him throughout. Akomi told her all he could recall of falling into the strange place with Tika and Sket, of the wild voice shouting with glee as they fell. He told her what he’d learned of their rescue, twitching an ear in the direction of the adjacent cots.
‘The woman carried Tika and the child carried me,’ he told Khosa. ‘They had to run through a fire. The child was burned.’
Khosa paused in her ministrations. ‘I will go and see,’ she said.
‘We will both go and see,’ Akomi corrected. He trotted after Khosa, a trifle wobbly but stronger by far than when he’d first awoken.
A nurse still sat at Shea’s side and she smiled as the two cats approached.
‘May I see this child?’ Khosa asked politely in the nurse’s mind.
The nurse leant down, lifting Khosa onto the cot. ‘Her shoulder is bad,’ she said softly. ‘It will take a long time to heal.’
Khosa stared at Shea: dark curly hair cut short, dark lashes curved against a pale cheek. Khosa remembered the first time she’d seen Tika. She’d been asleep too and this child looked very like her. Khosa fixed her turquoise gaze on Akomi sitting by the nurse’s feet, then on the nurse.
‘I understand that Farn must be left to sleep?’
The nurse frowned. ‘You’d have to ask the healers but yes, I believe that’s so.’
Khosa licked a paw thoughtfully. ‘Wait here,’ she ordered Akomi, and stalked towards the Dragons.
Time passed and when Akomi cried a little, the nurse lifted him to her lap and talked nonsense to him, which he found immense
ly comforting. He felt the nurse’s hands grow still and he opened his eyes. One of the men of this place was walking towards them and Tika walked beside him, Khosa riding her shoulder. Tika sat on the cot close to the nurse in her chair. The brilliant green eyes surrounded with silver stared at the child beside her. Akomi wailed, very softly, and Tika smiled, her hand scratching one of his ears.
‘You were so very brave Akomi.’ The tatty old cat pushed his head against her hand and purred.
The healer stood silently by. Tika glanced up at him. ‘You’ll have to take the bandages away.’
The nurse gave a small gasp but Tevros merely went to the other side and unlaced the ties of Shea’s nightgown. Another man arrived, a singularly tall stranger to the nurse. Tika introduced him as Nesh, also a healer. Nesh bent to hold Shea’s inert body whilst Tevros deftly removed the bandages and dressings from the girl’s left shoulder and upper arm. Nesh looked at Tika when the deep and angry burns were exposed.
She moved to the other side of the cot, leaning against Tevros quite naturally. ‘Can you give me any strength?’ she asked him.
He shook his head in bewilderment, not understanding her question. Tika looked beyond Tevros to the Dragons and the golden one raised her head to stare directly back. Something clearly passed between them then Tika turned back to Shea. She lifted a strange, egg shaped pendant out from beneath the nightgown she still wore, and clasped it in one hand. Khosa crouched watching, Akomi beside her.
Tika was astonished at how easy it seemed. Even as she began to rebuild spoilt muscles, blood vessels, tissues, she understood something had changed within her. Was it the tremendous power she felt in this place? She forced such speculation from her mind but the thought lingered that maybe, just maybe, she could help Farn.
Nurses and healers drew closer, watching in amazed silence as the stranger, Tika, sat quietly by the injured child. Shea was supported by Nesh who held her so that the burned shoulder was not in contact with anything. Tevros tried without success to follow what Tika was doing. All he could see was tissues rippling deep in Shea’s shoulder, flesh burgeoning across renewed muscle. He was unaware of Gossamer Tewk standing beside him, watching, like everyone else.
Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series Page 14
