Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (52 page)

Hag’s voice took on a
purring note. ‘I told the ghosts to protect the house. I liked
Snail.’

Shea and Tika exchanged
a startled glance, both at Hag’s tone and her words.

‘Snail is a very
pleasant woman,’ Gossamer agreed. ‘What about Drengle
though?’

Hag chortled. ‘He’s
scared out of his few wits.’

‘Well that’s normal.
But will he be safe there too? He’s not very bright, but I’m fond
of him in a way.’ Gossamer considered what she’d just said. ‘Fond
like you get fond of an old pair of shoes if you see what I
mean.’

Hag half raised her
wings, her beak gaping. ‘Those creeping things can’t trace him,
it’s only living blood they sense. He won’t be found and the ghosts
will shield the house to conceal dear Snail.’

Hag hopped down from
the arm of the chair on which she’d perched and made for the door,
which was closed. Shea managed to reach it in time to open it
properly for the great raven. Hag shrieked, making everyone
jump.

‘Nice manners are
always appreciated child.’

‘I wonder where she’s
gone now?’ Tika was saying when Shea rejoined them.

‘Did you hear the way
she spoke of Snail?’ Shea asked. ‘I think she’s lonely.’

Tika and Gossamer
simply stared at the girl who stared back defensively.

‘Well, I think she
is.’

Tika remembered Hag
suggesting that they might be friends. Apparently she had said much
the same to Farn too. Could that be a way to win some sort of
influence over the dreadful powers she knew Hag possessed? Before
she could follow that line of thought, she was distracted by the
silence. The men had ceased arguing it seemed. Judging by Emas’s
expression, it was not before time. Jemin looked around the
den.

‘We will go to
Gossamer’s house and assess the situation from there,’ he
announced. ‘I ask Lord Cyrek to stay with Tika at all times, while
Lord Daylith accompanies me.’

Cyrek and Daylith both
nodded agreement to this request.

‘I would like to be
there at tomorrow’s dawn. I would prefer to go at once, but until
it is clearer what the situation is with these creatures Hag has
described, I feel daylight is preferable.’

The room began to empty
and Tika, Shea and Gossamer walked together out onto the verandah.
The night air was chilly, still had a hint of snow in it as it
gusted between the houses. Stars sparkled high above the dark
mountains, although there was no moonlight tonight. Tika touched
Shea’s back lightly.

‘You don’t have to come
with us this time you know.’

Shea looked into Tika’s
strange eyes which gleamed faintly in the starlight.

‘Yes, I do,’ she
replied in a matter of fact way.

Tika nodded and spoke
to Gossamer. ‘And you Gossamer, will you stay in Kelshan if things
go as we hope?’

Gossamer moved to the
edge of the verandah before she answered, her back to Tika and
Shea.

‘I don’t know. I don’t
think so, not yet.’ She squared her narrow shoulders and turned to
face them.

‘Jemin said I could
learn about pictures in Karmazen. I think I’d like to do that for a
while. But I feel responsible for Drengle, and I’m not sure he’d
feel comfortable here.’

‘From what you’ve told
us of him, I’m quite sure he’d feel welcome and settle in well
here.’ Lemos moved out of the shadows. ‘Give him a chance
Gossamer.’ He smiled. ‘We can always send him back.’

Shea giggled. ‘He
probably wouldn’t even notice.’

‘Will you stay here
tomorrow?’ Tika asked Lemos.

‘My place is beside The
Bear in this instance,’ the mage replied softly. ‘But at least Essa
and Menagol are to stay to comfort Emas.’

‘I thought Essa was to
be with us?’ Gossamer asked with some surprise.

‘The Bear’s size might
be a problem but two or three such very large people could prove
alarming if we are among the ordinary citizens. So says Daylith,
and Jemin agrees. The twins remain.’

Lemos went down the
steps from the verandah. ‘Sleep well.’

They watched him out of
sight. The village was quiet, families snugly tucked away in their
sturdy houses.

‘I’m looking forward to
tomorrow, in an odd kind of way.’

Gossamer scowled at
Shea. ‘You don’t suffer in those gateways, wretched child. Some of
us, with more sensitive natures, are not so fortunate.’

‘Sorry Gossamer. I
forgot. Jemin’s Dark guards are used to them but I don’t know about
General Whilk and his men.’

Tika grinned. ‘And poor
Sket doesn’t much like them either.’

Tika slept with the
Dragons and woke well before dawn. Her farewells were private
before she made her way in to The Bear’s den. She met Essa at the
door and peered up at the enormous woman. Pale purple teeth flashed
in a smile.

‘Will your mother be
all right Essa?’

Essa bent closer. ‘She
has blessed the trails that he and Lemos must take, but she has
hidden herself away now, lest her tears bring bad fortune upon
their journey. Menagol and Theap and I will witness your
departure.’

They moved aside.
General Whilk nodded at them as he passed at the head of his eleven
men, and Jemin arrived moments later. All of the men wore the black
uniform of the Dark guards. Tika watched Sket march down the
passageway between Gossamer Tewk and Shea, and firmly repressed any
hint of amusement at the apprehension of two of those faces.
Gossamer and Shea entered the den, Sket hesitating beside Tika.
Essa enveloped Tika in a hug.

‘Take care of everyone,
little friend,’ she whispered before releasing her.

Tika could only nod and
stumble after Sket. She blinked in the light of the many lamps
illuminating the den. She saw Daylith speaking to Lemos and Cyrek
standing beside the three engineers. She wondered suddenly how hard
it was to get so many people through one gateway. And just as
suddenly, she decided not to think of it.

More than thirty people
suddenly appeared in Gossamer Tewk’s back garden. A few of them
immediately sagged to the ground with groans of distress. It seemed
much darker here than the predawn had been in the Bear village
because rain was driving relentlessly down from heavy clouds.
Gossamer was first to stagger to her back door, followed by Tika
who supported Sket. Snail was astonished by the advent of so many
strangers but already had various kettles and pots heating water
for tea. Those who suffered when travelling through gateways sat on
the floor in the hall, gritting their teeth against nausea and
dizziness.

Gossamer sat at the
kitchen table, trying to organise her mind enough to talk to poor
Snail with some semblance of intelligence. Sket watched tea being
poured, his eyes slitted against a pounding headache. It was the
Dark Lord Cyrek who raised one eyebrow at Tika. She flushed and
bent over Sket, her fingers brushing across his brow. He blinked,
realised the pain was gone, and grinned up at her. But she was
already moving along the line of sufferers, healing them with the
lightest thought. The kitchen was crowded but she wormed her way
through to Cyrek.

‘Please remind me every
time. I keep forgetting how my power has changed in regard to
healing at least.’

Gossamer raised her
voice above the muted din. ‘Drengle! Drengle List, get down here
this instant!’

Feet stumped across the
landing and down the stairs. A very nervous Drengle hovered by the
kitchen door, torn between fright at all these strangers and relief
at seeing Gossamer. Then his eyes widened as The Bear moved up
beside Gossamer Tewk.

The Bear smiled, his
filed but unstained teeth gleaming. ‘I am glad to meet you Drengle
List. I am named The Bear.’

Drengle smiled
cautiously back. ‘That’s a good name,’ he agreed. ‘Never seen one –
a bear I mean. But I know they’re big.’

‘We are here to help
Prince Jemin to gain his rightful place,’ The Bear went
on.

‘I’m sorry I can’t
help,’ Drengle interrupted. ‘I’m much too busy working upstairs.’
He began backing out of the kitchen.

The Bear raised an
enormous hand in a calming gesture. ‘We realise that, Drengle List,
but we had hoped you could stay here anyway.’

‘In charge of our base,
so to speak,’ Jemin added.

They watched Drengle’s
mouth form a circle of astonishment then he frowned in a serious
fashion.

‘In charge you say?
Well I can do that. Simert’s Balls, yes. I can do that. I can be in
charge from upstairs.’

The Bear nodded.
‘Ideal, Drengle List. Will you recognise us all, as we come and go?
It would not be good if you attacked one of us by
mistake.’

‘Attack?’ Drengle
looked appalled. ‘Erm, no. They’re all wearing black and those two
are girls. Anyway, Snail will know. She can call me. I’ll be
upstairs you see.’

Drengle made a slightly
hurried exit, leaving a silent kitchen behind him.

Snail handed a bowl of
tea to The Bear.

‘That was very kindly
done, sir. He’s a good lad really.’

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

When the ghosts swirled
in to the kitchen, a surprising number of Kelshan officers were
able to see them. Somewhat to their alarm. Several ghosts departed
on instructions from Jemin and the rest went back to encircling the
house. Jemin also sent out three of his own guards together with
three of Whilk’s men. The back door remained open, despite the rain
that was blown inside by the strengthening wind. The Bear stood by
the door, peering out. The sky was now a murky grey, promising a
dreary day.

Lemos winked at Shea
and Sket. ‘He longs to see this land of yours. And he wonders why
his children have such a large bump of curiosity in their
characters.’

Most of the men were
checking their weapons: Kelshans and Dark guards both trained to
such meticulous routines. One pair of scouts dived in through the
door, Snail clucking in annoyance at the amount of water they
brought with them. The Kelshan was white and speechless, leaving it
to the Dark guard to explain what they’d seen.

‘We went through the
streets towards the – Guild Precinct?’

The Kelshan guard
nodded.

‘We found two bodies
sir. No blood around them, or in them. Throats torn
open.’

Tika paled and Shea
moved closer to her.

The Dark guard
indicated his companion. ‘He suggested we went up higher. There are
mostly flat roofs along one whole section. We saw two creatures.
Big as The Bear, but bulkier in the chest. Long tails. On four legs
but a pair of arms came from just under the longish neck. Sounded
like claws on the stone street sir.’

The Kelshan guard found
his voice. ‘We’d just spotted those two sir, when a militia troop
came round the corner, between Bank Street and Jewellers Row. There
were ten militia with ten regular guards.’ He stopped. ‘None
survived sir, and the two creatures sustained no injuries from
swords, axes or pikes.’

Dog stretched her legs
under the table and adjusted her helmet. ‘Good thing we brought a
nice supply of poppers, seems to me.’

Everyone stared at the
engineer and she smiled. Jemin coughed.

‘How many did you
bring?’

‘’Bout a hundred.
’Course, we put in a dozen or so of our heavier
crackers.’

Tika sat
down.

Sket managed a weak
smile. ‘Glad you’ve come well prepared, engineer.’

Dog’s smile became a
beam. ‘Take pride in being prepared, we engineers do. Think we
should give ’em a test?’ She looked hopefully at Tika, but it was
Jemin who answered.

‘I think so indeed Dog.
You and me.’

Tika thought Jemin’s
expression was as wild as Dog’s.

‘Nah. I can run
fastest.’ Onion objected. ‘And I can use a sword if I really have
to. You’re no good with a sword.’

‘And I will come,’ The
Bear announced, in a tone which brooked no argument.

One of Whilk’s men,
Barlis, also stepped forward. ‘I know the City sir.’

Gossamer rolled her
eyes while Tika simply leaned her head on her hand.

Onion stood, a small
pack over his shoulder. He went to the door, smiled up at The Bear
and patted his pack.

‘Only six poppers and
two crackers in here sir. Not much, but enough to have a bit of
fun.’

Gossamer groaned aloud
as the three men vanished into the rain. Several men gathered by
the door talking quietly. Tika sighed.

‘I’ve been in battles
before, in tunnels and on the plains. But never in a
town.’

‘City.’ Gossamer, Snail
and Shea all spoke together.

Tika shrugged. ‘In a
City then. It could be very difficult knowing exactly who to
fight.’

‘Kelshan guards wear
green uniforms.’ Shea tried to be helpful but only received a
rather sour look from Tika.