‘I heard talk among some Bear warriors that scouts came through ahead of Strannik, saying they wanted only to give warning to the people here.’
The General frowned. ‘Which scouts?’
‘Chak and Weasel were two I think,’ said Kestis.
‘And Keff and Cully,’ Sekran put in. ‘They were sent south.’
‘They were all men I’ve worked with.’ The General turned his frown on Kestis. ‘Why do you ask about them?’
Jemin grinned at Kestis’s embarrassment. ‘I think he was trying to change the earlier subject.’
The General slapped his hands on his knees. ‘Insubordination!’ he barked, but smiled at the same time.
‘One more thing before we get some food,’ said Jemin. ‘The Bear insists he comes with us if we decide on the Citadel.’
‘Why?’
‘Kerris and Shea.’
The General grunted at Jemin’s succinct reply. ‘I’d noticed that.’
Jemin laughed again. ‘Don’t worry General, there is no hidden motive behind The Bear’s affection. He sees both girls, particularly Kerris, as two more cubs in need of his care and protection. He wants to see the woman who bore them.’
The men were meeting in the large ground floor room of Lemos’s house. The Bear’s mage had offered them the room which was mostly used in the winter days as a school room for the children, and in the evenings for story telling for all. Like all of the village houses, this was round and built with thick stone walls. Stone slabs jutted from the wall, making an open sided stair to the higher floor where Lemos lived and worked. Jemin wandered to the wide open doorway.
‘Who will have taken your place General?’ he asked over his shoulder.
‘Veranta said she had sent for Beslow.’
Jemin swung round. ‘Beslow? I thought he was dead long ago?’
Whilk laughed. ‘I forgot. He always accompanied your father on those hunting trips to the Eagle Mountain didn’t he?’
‘He did. He was always such fun to be with but he seemed so old to me then. I can’t believe he’s still alive!’ Jemin’s smile faded. ‘And would he truly work for the Imperatrix?’
General Whilk joined him at the door. ‘You knew he asked to retire when your father died?’
‘No, I didn’t. I just heard no more of him and assumed he’d passed away.’
‘Well, he’s kept well clear of all court and government matters. I’ve visited him a few times – he has lands south west of Kelshan City, but he has never returned to Kelshan since he retired. I guess he would have been travelling the coastal road even as I was riding the inland route in pursuit of the “expeditionary force”. He will not obey any order he feels undermines the importance Jarvos gave to morality and right.’
‘What happens if he refuses a direct order straight away?’
Whilk grunted. ‘The cells if not immediate execution.’ He considered what he’d just said. ‘The people love him still though. All those tales of the Imperator pacifying the Confederacies, negotiating treaties with the clans. And always his faithful General at his side. The people would not approve of ill treatment to him – if they heard of it of course.’
Captain Lessur hesitantly posed a question. ‘If Prince Jemin gains control of the Imperium, will mention be made of this Realm and its people?’
‘When, not if, Captain,’ replied Jemin. ‘The people here wish to keep their seclusion for a while at least. Corman, the Palace Master, spokesman for the Dark Ones really, he has suggested that word is spread carefully, through stories and the like. He said, and I fully agree, that he does not want the Kelshan people frightened out of their wits by the idea of the “monstrous magical folk” of the Dark Realm suddenly appearing in their midst. He also asks that no mention be made of their Dark gateways.’
The youngest officer, Fent, coughed nervously. Jemin gave him an encouraging nod.
‘The woman, Lady Tika. Is she coming to Kelshan? I spoke to Lady Shea yesterday and she said it was Lady Tika who had helped get Lady Kerris out of the Citadel. Will the –erm - Dragons go with Lady Tika if she chooses to go to Kelshan?’
Jemin sighed. ‘I don’t know. But Fent, neither she nor Shea wish to be called lady, so try to remember that. Tika has another foe to fight. I am only party to some of the information concerning that problem but it could well mean she must go to Kelshan.’ He shrugged helplessly. ‘I’d be grateful for any ideas on how we might explain the arrival of at least one Dragon. Now, let’s get some food.’
The group of men met Daylith and Tika crossing the village to the guest house where meals were provided for them. Small children were rushing into various houses, also eager for a meal, and the massive bulk of the crimson Dragon paced behind them. Seven children perched laughing on his back and he lowered himself with great care to let them slide off. One girl, barely three summers old, tripped as she toddled under his nose. His enormous head instantly lowered so the child could grab a handful of his lip and pull herself back to her feet. She crowed with laughter while a young woman darted from one of the houses and scooped her into her arms.
‘I do hope she didn’t hurt you?’ The woman stared earnestly up into Brin’s eyes.
‘Not at all, my dear, not at all.’ Brin’s deep voice rumbled through their heads.
The village woman retreated to her house, her child waving vigorously over her mother’s shoulder.
‘Do you know, I’ve never thought to ask you,’ Tika spoke aloud. ‘Do you have children of your own Brin?’
A wave of embarrassed pride swept over them. ‘Well, yes, once you know. Long ago. One daughter and two sons.’ If a Dragon could blush, Brin would surely be doing so, although it would never have been visible on his crimson face.
‘But where are they?’
‘They all flew to the south. They wanted adventures.’
‘Like their father,’ Tika teased.
Brin’s prismed eyes whirred rose and scarlet and he reclined with dignity, watching the men standing behind Tika. But he pushed himself back up to a sitting position as a vast black bird thudded to land rather close to him.
Daylith narrowed his eyes. ‘Hag,’ he acknowledged. ‘What brings you here?’
Hag shuffled her feathers into order and snapped her beak at him. ‘I don’t answer to you young man. I go where I please.’ She strutted across the ground in front of Brin, beak agape. ‘I shall speak to you later,’ she said in a kindly tone. Brin’s eyes flashed in alarm but Hag had turned to Tika. ‘I will talk to you now though. We never had an opportunity for a private little chat while you were at the Palace, did we?’
Tika swallowed and raised her chin. ‘Of course –erm – Hag.’ She nodded to Daylith and walked to the village boundary wall. Scrambling upon it, she glanced back at the huge raven. ‘Will this be private enough?’
Hag spread her wings and in less than two sweeps, landed beside Tika. Tika smiled brightly down at the men. ‘Save some food for me. I’m sure we won’t be too long.’
She braced her shoulders and studied Hag. The bird was slightly taller than she was sitting down, and it unnerved Tika to find she had to look up to meet Hag’s eyes. Those eyes were glittering black beads ringed with golden yellow. And oh such intelligence lay in their depths. Tika had instinctively shielded herself when Hag arrived and now she only loosened that shielding a fraction. Power reeked from the raven, the strength of it terrifying. Hag cackled softly.
‘You sense the power within me. And I feel your power too.’ She strutted away along the wall, spun round and strutted back. She suddenly thrust her face, with its dagger long, heavy beak close to Tika’s face.
‘Do you know where your power comes from?’ she whispered.
Tika was frozen by the proximity of that deadly beak, but she managed to think.
‘No. I don’t think anyone has ever said that power comes from a particular source.’ She relaxed as the question genuinely intrigued her. ‘Does it come from somewhere then? Mine started working when a
healer taught me a little. It’s just seemed to grow since then. Where does yours come from?’
Hag’s wings, each as wide as Tika was tall, spread out and she lifted slightly from the wall. She settled back but was clearly agitated. Tika forced herself to remain outwardly calm, although she knew she was very afraid of this bird.
‘From the Dark,’ Hag hissed. ‘All power comes from the Dark they say.’
But Tika caught a note of uncertainty in Hag’s words.
‘I was close by when you went to Kelshan,’ the hissing whisper continued. ‘Oh there was power there. You felt it didn’t you? Strong. Strong.’ She strutted along the wall and back again. ‘Different, oh very different, but it strengthened my powers and yours. Yes, yes, you know that’s true, don’t deny it. But where is it from? It isn’t Dark. How then does it make our power grow?’
‘The healer who began to teach me, believed power came from the Light, or from the Stars,’ Tika said slowly.
‘Pah! Light. Dark. Names. Maybe in between.’
Tika frowned. ‘You mean from one of the Places Between?’
‘No! In between Light and Dark – Shadow.’
Tika shook her head. ‘I’ll have to think,’ she began.
Hag cackled. ‘Yes, yes. You think. And I’ll think. And then we’ll have another little chat.’
Hag drifted off the wall and landed near Brin. ‘Now I’ll talk to you,’ she announced.
Tika climbed down from the wall and sent a pulse of sympathetic amusement in Brin’s direction but left him to Hag’s mercy while she went in search of food.
She slid onto a bench beside Daylith who gave her a searching glance as he poured her a bowl of fragrant tea.
‘Do you know where Hag comes from?’ Tika asked him.
‘I’m not sure anyone does. She’s just been around as long as the First Daughter, at the very least.’
‘She introduced herself as Anfled of the Dark when I saw her first, in the Palace. Who gave her the name Anfled I wonder?’
When the meal was finished, Tika headed for The Bear’s house. There seemed no one about and Tika remembered that Emas had flown with Kija in search of roots. Hoping she wasn’t breaking any rules of accepted behaviour, she made her way to the den. The door was open and she peered into the brightly lit room. Gossamer Tewk was crouched by the wall opposite the door, apparently scribbling on a slate which rested on her knee.
‘Am I interrupting?’ asked Tika.
Gossamer glanced over. ‘Not at all. I just can’t leave this painting alone.’ She straightened and moved to a chair. ‘This is so very odd.’
‘What is?’ Tika joined Gossamer as Lemos entered behind her. He carried a tray with a large steaming pot upon it and three drinking bowls. He smiled at Tika.
‘I heard you come in,’ he explained, his voice a painful rasp.
‘I’ve just had several bowls of tea with my meal, thank you all the same.’
Lemos stared at her. ‘Meal? Has the morning gone already?’ He seemed genuinely surprised.
‘And I don’t drink tea,’ Gossamer pointed out in an acid tone.
‘Oh. Ah. I was so caught up in your ideas. I do apologise for any offence.’
‘Oh nonsense Lemos.’ Gossamer flapped a hand in his direction.
‘What is so odd Gossamer?’ Tika returned to Gossamer Tewk’s first remark to her.
Gossamer scowled down at the slate on her lap. She reached to another small table beside her chair which, Tika saw, was covered with papers.
‘I’ve never seen a picture like this. It goes on and on and it tells different stories. When I first looked at it, it was a wonderful jumble of beautiful colours and strange people and animals. I couldn’t really make it out properly.’ She shuffled through the handful of papers she’d picked up. ‘So I looked at it again from the beginning to its end. Certain scenes seemed to come more into focus – a fight between two small groups of people, a hunting party, a burial of someone obviously important. But it still didn’t feel as though I was really seeing it.’
Gossamer glared in frustration, first at Lemos then at Tika.
Tika nodded. ‘I know that feeling far too well,’ she said with sympathy.
‘Well.’ Gossamer leaned back, her scowl fading. ‘I think I may have got closer. If you squint at the wall, it goes blurry. But patterns suddenly show up.’ She got to her feet, papers and slate cascading onto a brilliantly woven rug. ‘The pattern looks like lots of pipes, winding in and out through different scenes. If they ran straight, you’d see it at once.’
Tika stood up as well, staring at the wall beside Gossamer. She shook her head in confusion and looked at Lemos for help. But his face wore an expression of deep worry and Tika turned back to the wall in rising alarm.
‘I don’t see what you mean Gossamer. Can you show me any more clearly?’
Gossamer walked right up to the wall and raised both her hands, palms flat. She blocked the picture above and below a little scene of animals being herded down a mountainside. Slowly she moved her hands higher, then lower, following a single section of the painting.
Tika gasped, her gaze moving on without the guidance of Gossamer’s framing hands. Tika stepped back. Now Gossamer had shown her, similar winding patterns traced themselves along the wall, twisting in and out but never breaking through each other. Tika met Lemos’s light hazel eyes and knew he’d already reached the same conclusion. She swallowed.
‘They’re not pipes Gossamer. They’re tunnels. Like the tunnels of the Splintered Kingdom.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
Veranta slept soundly: she always did. When she woke, she dismissed the young officer from her bed and her suite almost absently. She couldn’t recall his name but she didn’t think he had earned a second night with her anyway. By the time she’d breakfasted and made her way to her office she’d forgotten what he looked like. Sitting at her desk she frowned. She called for one of the scribes in the adjoining room.
‘I was expecting reports from the healers,’ said the Imperatrix, her hard brown eyes boring into the man standing just inside the door.
‘Nothing has arrived my lady. Should I send a messenger?’
‘No. Leave it for now.’
She dismissed the scribe and crossed the room to stare up at the map which hung on the wall. Are they through those mountains yet, she wondered. She smiled, anticipating, like Strannik, only glory and wealth. Well, the glory didn’t bother her much, people’s opinions rarely did, but the wealth would be greatly welcome. Wealth she liked.
Veranta thought she should receive news of Strannik’s success within the next days, but for now she had domestic matters to deal with. The ambassadors representing several of the most powerful clans had presented her with a joint document which, after a first quick reading, she had pushed aside. Now she returned to her desk, sorting through the papers spread untidily over it.
She sat down to go over the document again, swearing at various points as she reached them. The Imperatrix tossed the paper back on her desk. They dared criticise her! They demanded – demanded indeed! – a cessation of the capture of women and children on no formal charges. They demanded the release of any prisoners held in Kelshan garrisons who likewise had no charges levelled against them. Strannik would soon put a stop to such sentiments. Then Veranta recalled that Strannik could well be absent for too long – this needed to be dealt with at once. Let the clans know who ruled these lands.
She rose and stared out of the window. She had her doubts about Beslow. She’d thought he’d return to the Citadel a frail, doddering, quite possibly senile, old man. But she suspected there was still steel and fire in that upright figure. There were a few officers whose loyalty to her she was sure of. But should she send one of them to the clan borders or keep them here? Making her decision she went to the scribes’ room.
‘Send for Captain Mettich to attend me after the midday meal,’ she ordered. ‘I will be in the infirmary for the next while.’
Her two escorts saluted when the Imperatrix arrived in the antechamber where duty guards and messengers waited until they were needed. One guard opened the door, the two guards outside leaped to attention, and Veranta passed them without a glance. She led the way down the broad green marble staircase, past more saluting guards, then turned to the corridor leading to the infirmary.
Various healers, novices, anatomists and even a couple of ambulatory patients, flattened themselves to the walls as the Imperatrix scuttled by. Reaching the barrier of the reception area, she halted. A healer in a dark green gown came forward and bowed.
‘A body was brought here last evening. I expected the preliminary results on my desk by now.’
The healer nodded, picking up a paper from her desk. ‘I was not on duty my lady, but I saw that a body arrived for detailed examination.’ She called to a young man hovering to one side. ‘Nurse, check room four please.’
As the young man hurried off, the healer turned back to Veranta, her eyes worried. ‘They should have finished long since my lady,’ she began, but a shout of horror and fear interrupted her.
Veranta signalled one of her escort to go after the healer who was already running in the direction of the cry. Veranta followed with her remaining guard who held his sword at the ready. She and her guard came to a halt by an open door and stared into the room. Five bodies lay on the bare stone floor, one still moving slightly. Another body lay naked on the stone table.
The healer and the nurse were trying to pull the now groaning person out of the room. Veranta glanced at the man’s face as the healer hauled him through the door. She couldn’t name him but she recognised him as one of the healers from last night. Another healer pushed into the room, stooping over the four motionless bodies. He looked back at the Imperatrix.
‘They have no wounds my lady,’ he said.
Veranta stepped closer and stared down at the nearest body which the healer had pulled over, so that it lay on its back. The face wore a frozen expression of unbelieving horror, the eyes bulging from their sockets in fear. Veranta studied Ternik lying on the table. She seemed unchanged in any degree from how she’d appeared last night. Except. Veranta cautiously went closer still.
Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series Page 30
