Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light

by E. M. Sinclair

  He gazed back down at his hands. ‘In beast form and in human form, we can reach each other mentally, but only in a very basic way. I could send out a call to Beela saying watch/fire/from the east/danger. That is all.’

  Tika nodded. ‘Thank you Dromi. So you did not hear Kazbeck’s call?’

  Dromi shook his head and gave her a sad smile. ‘I heard you move. My people have learned, over many centuries, to sleep lightly. Danger often comes to us in the night.’

  Kija’s voice spoke in all their minds. ‘We are above the building and I can sense very few life signs within. Essa says that she fears Kazbeck and Corim found some way inside. She instructed them not to enter, but holds herself responsible that they must have disobeyed that order.’

  ‘Tell Essa to get back here. I don’t want her trying anything stupid. I know she is very angry but don’t let her get near that place Kija. I will far seek.’

  Tika pushed her blankets back to the wall and settled cross legged. She looked at Shivan.

  ‘Can you follow me?’

  He nodded. She turned to Rhaki.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘That cry hurt my head. It feels split in two.’

  Tika called to both Farn and Brin in mind speech. ‘Follow my mind my dears. I must try to see what happened.’

  Her mind was within the Menedula in an eye blink, in the highest room, that had been Cho Petak’s private domain. She saw only the child Mena, sitting stiffly in a straight backed chair, staring blankly at the wall ahead of her. Cautiously, Tika probed the girl’s mind and body. She was not surprised now to find the body was still living while the mind was very nearly empty.

  She slid out of the room, down to the hall, a place she was coming to abhor. Her mind moved rapidly along the rows of bodies, flinching from Elyssa’s but forcing herself on. There was no sign of her two guards in the hall. The shadows were at their ceaseless ebb and flow but Tika noted they faltered when her mind drew near them. She sensed no specific intelligence within the shadows, but there was a deliberation to their movement.

  Tika rose to the landing and let a slender tendril of thought spin out through the building, seeking any life sign she could. She found two, and followed the thread towards those signs. They were on the same level as the landing and, pushing herself through another door, she found herself in a dimly lit bed chamber. Finn Rah lay propped on pillows, more sitting up than lying. But her face wore an expression Tika had not seen on it before: terror.

  Finn Rah was staring towards the further side of the room as if she dare not let her gaze relax. Tika drifted to Finn Rah’s bedside, trying to sense what the woman could see. A part of the shadow in the corner seemed to detach itself and came further into the frail light of the lamp by the bed. It took an enormous effort of will for Tika to force her mind to remain where it was.

  Ren advanced to the end of the bed. The only familiar thing about his face were his eyes, the brown surrounded by silver. But their shape had changed, as had the angle at which they were set. Tusks grew to the length of a finger joint from his lower jaw. The jaw had stretched forwards far too far for a human face, and his skin seemed to have thickened. He moved round the side of the bed and Tika realised his grimace was in fact a smile.

  He ran the back of his knuckles down the side of Finn Rah’s face and the smile became a snarl. But then he froze, spinning round to glare about the room. He tilted his head to one side and sniffed the air. His gaze slid past Tika’s mind then was drawn back. He was staring hard at a spot a little to Tika’s left but there was no mistaking the fact that he was aware of something. If he wasn’t aware it was Tika’s mind, he knew there was some unwanted presence in this room.

  Tika withdrew, fleeing to her body a league away. She drew a shuddering breath and opened her eyes. She saw the faces watching her, all except Kazmat, and knew that Farn had shown them all that she had seen. Tika let her head rest back on the wall, thoughts racing in all directions but unable to follow any coherently right now.

  ‘Ren is not of the Dark,’ Shivan said angrily. ‘And I don’t believe he is of Shadow.’

  Dromi cleared his throat and eyes turned to him. ‘I would have to agree. He is neither Dark nor Shadow.’

  ‘But he looks so like the First Daughter did, when she descended,’ Tika objected.

  Dromi shook his head. ‘That may be so, but I am sure he is being influenced by the Splintered Kingdom. I would also suggest that the manifestation which appeared as the great Raven came from the same source – not from Shadow.’

  His words rang with conviction, but before anymore could be said, Kija mind spoke them again.

  ‘Storm and I have spoken with Essa. We have landed a little way into the town and I am shielding us. Tika, Essa insists she will stay here until she knows what has happened to the bodies of Kazbeck and Corim. It seems very important to her.’

  Tika chewed her lip. ‘Let Essa choose for now, but if there is danger, Kija, I want her and the others out of there.’

  ‘As you will my child.’

  Konya had brewed a strong tea and handed round the bowls. Now she sat beside Kazmat, her hand on his back, murmuring softly to him. Sket pushed a bowl of tea into Tika’s hands.

  ‘Drink,’ he ordered.

  He squatted beside her. ‘Tika, what are we doing here? When we hunted for Namolos, and faced that Qwah creature, they were hard enough to track down. But this – this is like trying to fight smoke.’

  Green eyes regarded him over the rim of the bowl cupped in her hands. Sket sighed.

  ‘I know. We owe the First Daughter, we owe Lady Emla. I know.’

  ‘They are my debts, Sket.’

  He glared at her. ‘They are our debts,’ he snapped, and then was flustered when she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  She settled against his shoulder, as she had a hundred times before.

  ‘We’ll think of something, Sket.’

  Sket’s only reply was a grunt.

  Tika watched Khosa step daintily over various legs until she reached Kazmat. With determination, she wriggled her way under his arm and between his legs and his chest, where she clamped herself, purring steadily.

  Sergeant Essa, Fedran, Darrick and Onion were at the edge of the great square well before dawn. As the sky lightened revealing pearly grey clouds from horizon to horizon, two figures became visible, laid neatly in the centre of the square. Kija, resting with Storm against a still intact wall near one of Syet’s smaller market squares, watched through Essa’s eyes.

  ‘I sense nothing.’ Kija mind spoke the Sergeant. ‘I think they play games with you.’

  ‘I’m going to get them.’ Essa sounded grimly determined.

  Kija rose, gliding directly to the huge square. She formed a mental shield between the bodies and the Menedula, flying slowly back and forth along the line of that shield. She felt nothing from the building, other than a sort of low level tingle which she would expect if she was scanning a hillside where rabbits, worms and snails might be the only living things. She watched the tall solid figure of Sergeant Essa stride out towards the bodies, her three remaining guards at her heels.

  Essa crouched beside Corim, seeing at once that his head was connected to his body by only a few strands of skin and muscle. She could see no injuries on Kazbeck and rightly assumed he must have been taken from behind. She could see it would be difficult to move Corim. She straightened and looked up at the golden Dragon drifting at the height of the Menedula. Storm had joined Kija and he flew a little higher, but even so, Essa could see the anger in his eyes.

  Of the four Dragons, she’d learned that young Storm remained warier of humans than the others, and was also the quickest to rage. But she remembered too that Storm had loved to tease the guards whenever they attempted to catch fish, and had been growing more confident with some of them. Now, she mind spoke both Dragons.

  ‘I will examine Kazbeck to see how he died, then I think they should go in flame. Corim, - Corim would be diffic
ult to move from this place, unless we make a stretcher or something.’

  Regardless of their proximity to possible danger from anyone or anything in the Menedula, Storm landed close to Essa. He studied Corim’s corpse and his lips peeled back revealing dagger sharp fangs as he snarled. Essa bent again and found Onion beside her. With gentle hands they rolled Kazbeck from his back to his side, Darrick and Fedran keeping the corpse steady.

  It was Onion who pulled free a piece of Kazbeck’s shredded shirt and carefully wiped away some of the congealed blood. Kazbeck’s spine was exposed, neatly snapped, the two ends a handspan apart. Storm’s long face pushed between Essa and Onion.

  ‘Teeth.’ His mind voice was full of barely held anger and – something else.

  As Essa recognised it as grief, she lifted a hand to Storm’s cheek and for a heartbeat, his large eye stared into her face. Then he pulled away and emitted an ear-splitting scream. He reared erect, his wings spread for balance, and began to sing the death song of the Dragon Kindred. Essa and Onion carefully settled Kazbeck on his back again. After a brief hesitation, Essa unbuckled the sword belts of both men. Kazbeck’s sword was jammed awkwardly in its sheath, not as he would have placed it. She guessed it had been returned to him, after he’d died.

  The long knives on the opposite sides to the swords, she removed, and carefully wrapped the guards’ hands round the grips, laying them against their chests. The Sergeant ran three fingers of her left hand gently down each man’s face, murmuring something too low for the others to make out any words. Holding the sword belts, she stood, just as Kija landed to rear erect opposite Storm.

  Essa took several paces back, the three guards standing to attention beside her. The Dragon song faded and silence fell. Kija and Storm, still upright, opened their jaws and Dragon fire stabbed into the bodies on the black slabs of the square. The guards watched unflinching, until nothing was left of Corim and Kazbeck. Not even a single flake of ash.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kija and Storm brought them back to the cabin. The rest of Tika’s company were gathered outside, beside Brin and Farn. Essa slid from Kija’s back first, and marched stiffly to stand, towering over Tika. She held out a long bundle, wrapped in a blanket, as tenderly as if she was offering Tika a baby. Essa opened her mouth but no words would come. She coughed and tried again.

  ‘I owe you two lives, Lady Tika,’ was all she managed.

  ‘No Essa.’ Tika carefully took the bundle from Essa’s outstretched hands, holding it against her chest. ‘They knew their orders. They made their own choice.’

  Essa closed her eyes briefly then braced her shoulders and looked round the group until she spotted Kazmat. She moved towards him, and Konya called from inside the cabin that there was stew still hot on the embers of the fire. People moved and began to talk quietly. Tika turned to go inside holding what she knew where two swords, and found the engineer Onion beside her.

  ‘Sergeant Essa’s taking it hard, Lady,’ he muttered. ‘I seen her like this once before, when we worked with her squad in the mines. Nine miners died and that’s where old Rose started to go funny in his head.’

  Tika listened, not knowing who Rose was or what mines Onion spoke of.

  ‘She said it were her fault, see? Well, everyone knew it weren’t, but she got very quiet about it all. This time, she did tell us, soon as we got there. “No one tries to get in that place.” That’s what she said.’

  Tika put the swords down next to her bed roll and looked up at Onion.

  ‘I do understand,’ she said quietly. ‘I attach no blame at all to Sergeant Essa. But she has to work this out for herself. But let the others know, Onion, that I grieve for the loss of Corim and Kazbeck, but it was no one’s fault except their own that they entered the Menedula.’

  Onion nodded, looking relieved, and went back outside, clearly intent on making sure all the guards knew the Lady’s views. Tika knelt on her blankets and began to unwrap the swords, wondering what she was supposed to do with them. Someone knelt beside her and she knew without looking that Rhaki had joined her.

  ‘Essa will be all right,’ he said. ‘She may take a day or two, but she’ll be fine. Send her out hunting with Volk – he’s just got back. A nice roast supper would be much appreciated.’

  Tika smiled. ‘I might suggest that. Can you use a sword?’

  Rhaki’s brows rose at the change of subject. He thought for a moment. ‘I think so, but not for a long time.’

  Tika’s smile widened and she laid one of the sword belts on his knees.

  ‘Sket will just love to put you through the drills with the others.’

  Leaving Rhaki staring down at the weapon in some apprehension, Tika went in pursuit of Dromi. She found him perched on the boulder he seemed to favour, watching and listening but keeping quiet. She stood in front of him, hands on hips.

  ‘Can you use a sword, Dromi?’

  He considered the question. ‘I was trained in the use of several weapons, Lady Tika. The sword was one of them.’

  ‘Yet you carry no weapons.’

  Dromi’s mouth dropped open then snapped shut. ‘It is forbidden to bear weapons here. We are allowed farming tools, axes, knives for butchering, but never weapons. Hunters have to go before a Kooshak or higher to be given permission to carry bows.’

  Tika was surprised. Ren had never mentioned that in his accounts of Drogoya.

  ‘Well, there is a sword for you now.’

  Interest sparked in Dromi’s strangely changeable eyes. ‘I will gladly work with Captain Sket to renew my skills.’

  Tika stared at him. ‘Captain Sket?’ she asked faintly.

  Dromi’s head tilted to one side, an odd habit he had which brought back memories to Tika of the gijan.

  ‘That is what the guards call him. Is it wrong?’

  ‘No. No, it isn’t wrong.’

  Dromi stood up; he was barely taller than Tika.

  ‘I have said something that offends you Lady.’

  He rested his long fingers on her arm and she moved a little further from the cabin, drawing Dromi with her. And so Dromi learned more of this woman he’d been sent to watch and to serve. He learned of her childhood, of her adoption by Kija, of her building of a family of her own. He was astonished and humbled to find that he was now considered to be a part of that family.

  The grey sky was darkening by the time Tika and Dromi rejoined the company. Tika fetched the sword and handed it to the Old Blood.

  ‘Sket will tell you of the properties of this blade, Dromi. The metal is forged by the Master Armourer of the Dark Realm.’

  Dromi accepted the sword across his palms. He met Tika’s eyes and bowed deeply over the sword.

  Volk had returned too late for a hunting trip but Geffal and Shea had snared several rabbits which were baked over the fire. Volk quickly heard what had happened in Syet and he eased any awkwardness among them that evening by telling stories of his hunting trips and then of his time as a tavern keeper. Tika noted Essa was far quieter than usual, but at least she ate her share of supper.

  The ground shook again soon after the company had settled for the night. There was no taint in the air this time, but the earth rose and fell violently for what felt like an age. Volk was concerned for the horses and went out to them with Geffal. When they returned Volk looked across to Dromi with a scowl.

  ‘I have never known the ground to tremble like this here. I’ve been in Middle Trengle enough when it’s happened, but it often does there.’

  Dromi shrugged. ‘I have no idea why it should occur here, or why now.’

  Shivan sat very still, as if listening.

  ‘There is something, coming from the Menedula.’

  Bodies rolled out of blankets and swords were buckled on. Volk went outside again without a word. Tika wasn’t surprised when Kija remarked mildly that Volk had taken his bear shape and hurried southwards.

  ‘What do you think it might be?’ Tika demanded of Shivan.

  He clim
bed to his feet, still seeming to listen. Then his eyes blazed and he drew his sword.

  ‘The things that appeared in Kelshan.’

  ‘Oh stars forfend,’ Sket groaned. ‘We were inside the bloody Citadel and they were outside. What good’s this hut going to be as protection?’

  ‘We can lift all of you,’ Brin interrupted.

  ‘You can’t lift the horses,’ Shea retorted, pushing Khosa into her travelling sack and looping the strap around her neck.

  The panic Tika had felt welling within her, vanished in a helpless snort of laughter – she could feel Brin’s perplexity at Shea’s remark.

  Essa and Sket shot back inside, but before they could speak, Tika heard the sound of crashing timber. The Dragons had lifted into the dark sky, no moon and no stars tonight, and were out of the company’s sight. Dragon fire lanced down and several pine trees exploded and flared like torches. In the sudden illumination, those gathered in front of the cabin saw a bear running at unbelievable speed straight for them. Even as they watched, the bear shivered back into the man Volk. As he came closer they saw blood on his chest and arms.

  ‘They are close behind me. Many of them,’ he gasped.

  Konya tugged him inside the cabin and slapped him, quite hard, when he resisted.

  ‘Don’t try to be so heroic,’ she snapped. ‘Let me see how badly you’re hurt, bandage you, and then you can go back out to play again.’

  Rhaki met Tika’s eye and they both grinned. Tika briefly wondered just how sane most of her company now was then swung to face the blazing trees. Shapes were visible now, hulking in the darkness. Then Kija appeared, fire gushing from her mouth as she swooped low. Howls and shrieks echoed from the woods. Something stormed through the flames, itself ablaze. It was twice Essa’s size, and unhuman. A thin rat face protruded forward from a long skull crested with spines. It seemed unaware that it was on fire and kept coming, until an arrow sank into an eye. It staggered on another dozen steps before it crashed to the ground.

  Tika saw Geffal on one knee, another arrow nocked and ready to fly. Glancing to her left, she saw Darrick and Onion edging further to the side, both holding small clay pots in their hands. Then she realised Dog was rather close to her, also holding one of their explosive devices. She met Dog’s eyes briefly and shivered at the maniacal glint therein.