Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (57 page)

Cyrek nodded. ‘Daylith
has the makings of an excellent researcher, so I felt it best he
leave here. Corman will send someone else.’

‘Do you know
who?’

‘I have a suspicion it
may well be one of Peshan’s sons.’

Tika raised an eyebrow
in mute query.

‘Peshan’s third boy,
Shivan, is probably one of the most generally gifted young mages.
He came into his powers early.’

‘Daylith told me that
happens when you are about twenty years old?’

Cyrek grimaced. ‘Shivan
frightened the wits out of his family by taking Dragon form at
thirteen. As long as something holds his interest, he is the best
lad you could wish for.’

‘Ah. So we could have
problems with him?’

‘I don’t think you
will. All this will be new and of interest to him. His mind works –
differently – from all the other students in the Academy. He is a
kind boy, but curiosity consumes him.’

Tika decided to reserve
judgement on Peshan’s son. ‘Will we get rid of all these monstrous
creatures do you think?’

Tika had gone with Sket
and Dog onto the watch walk earlier and two of the things had
rushed the curtain wall, shrieking and howling. Tika had watched in
disbelieving horror. Both creatures had heads like birds only they
were the size of a half grown child. They stood on two strangely
jointed legs with long clawed feet beneath them. The arms appeared
to have no bones: they twisted and writhed rapidly in all
directions, snapping a Kelshan guard’s neck with the most casual
gesture. The two creatures ignored the units of guards surrounding
them, their attention only on the wall. Their flailing arms killed
guards apparently without deliberate intent.

Tika had stared down,
seeing one creature buckle when swords and axes managed to nearly
sever a leg. Its skin was dark grey and leathery, with faint lines
hazed over its back and haunches. Blood flowed, thick and sluggish,
from many wounds on both creatures. But the first to go down, the
one whose leg was severed, twisted as it fell and two protuberant
round eyes stared balefully straight up at Tika. She stared back
into the total blackness and then became aware that those eyes were
drawing her into them, almost as the tunnel in the ash had tempted
her closer.

She pushed herself away
from the wall with a gasp, breaking the link with the creature’s
eyes. A shriek of rage and frustration rose and Tika knew it came
from that same beast. Cyrek watched her as the scene replayed in
her mind and only answered her question when her attention returned
to him.

‘Shea says that the
ghosts are searching throughout the City. So far, none of the
things have been seen beyond the City limits.’

‘I should have thought
to ask the ghosts to help. But I find it odd that these creatures
cannot detect spirits, souls, ghosts – call them what you may. They
seem drawn only to life.’

Tika met Cyrek’s gold
eyes. ‘They seem drawn only to me.’

Cyrek gave a heavy
sigh. ‘I had reached that conclusion too unfortunately.’

‘Should I go out into
the City – act as bait? Would that lure them all into traps we
could set up?’

‘I don’t think we
should take that course just yet.’

‘But when the
Imperatrix fled, the creatures spread into the City.’

‘Exactly. They are
drawn to power. The Imperatrix contained a large portion of the
Crazed One’s own power so the beasts pursued her.’

Cyrek hoped Mother Dark
would let Tika follow his thought without him having to explain
further. Seeing her face pale, he knew she understood.

‘Why? Cyrek, why should
this power come to me? Why not you, or Lemos, or anyone
else?’

Cyrek felt a deep
sympathy. She was very young, virtually untrained, yet she indeed
had more mage strength than any he’d ever known. He believed she
was stronger even than the First Daughter.

‘I can’t tell you why
you should be the one to receive this power Tika. But there will be
a reason, such things do not occur by chance. It is as Mother Dark
wills.’

‘Mother Dark!’ Tika
retorted. ‘I’d never heard of her until about twenty days ago. Why
would she know anything of me?’

‘Corman and Chindar are
both convinced that you have much Darkness within you. Lerran would
have been able to tell at once. Perhaps Dabray too.’

Tika opened her mouth,
and shut it again. Her hand strayed to her chest. Beneath the blue
jacket she could feel the shapes of two scales, carefully tucked in
the undershirt’s pocket. One, deep purple, from Seela, and one,
shimmering opalescent, from Dabray. Tika looked again into Cyrek’s
gold eyes.

‘The Lady Emla, in
Sapphrea, said once that I had Asatarian markers in my blood. But
her people, the Asatarians, came from a world far across the stars.
She said the markers in me came through her brother Rhaki, Guardian
of the North. No one knows where he is now, but I have a sense that
he is not dead. How have these things come about? And now you say
Corman thinks I have Dark blood as well.’

Cyrek placed a long
fingered hand gently over hers on the table, but he said nothing.
He couldn’t say anything because he knew no more than she did now.
But his conviction was growing that this young woman, as Dog had
told old Beslow, was very, very special. His silence went unnoticed
when Gossamer Tewk sat across the table from them. She glanced at
Cyrek but addressed herself to Tika.

‘I would like to go
back to Karmazen – when this little difficulty is sorted
out.’

She laughed at Tika’s
expression. ‘But I can’t leave Drengle List behind, and I’m worried
about Snail too.’

‘And what will you do
in Karmazen?’ asked Tika curiously.

‘Jemin said that I
could learn about pictures.’

‘And Snail?’

Gossamer shrugged. ‘She
knows more about dyes and plants than anyone I know.’

‘Well she wouldn’t get
many customers for embalming from among us.’ Cyrek grinned broadly
and earned a scowl from Gossamer.

‘Seriously, there’ll be
no problem Gossamer. You are one of the very few who have visited
our Realm and then returned to your own lands.’

‘Unlike those Kelshan
guards you mean?’

Cyrek looked
thoughtful. ‘They may be sent back after a time. Things are
changing.’ He gave Tika a nod of acknowledgement. ‘Someone argued
quite strongly against the stagnation that occurs when nothing is
allowed to change.’

Gossamer gave him one
of her milder scowls before asking Tika about her three self
appointed Kelshan guards. When Cyrek chuckled, Tika also bestowed a
scowl in his direction. Ignoring him she explained to
Gossamer.

‘The tallest one, who
looks a bit like Jemin, is Kazmat. The dark one with hazel eyes is
his younger brother Kazbeck. And the dark one with blue eyes is
Corim.’

Gossamer lowered her
voice. ‘Sket told them he’s in charge. He seems quite pleased to
have a unit to command.’

‘Unit?’ Tika looked
blank.

‘The three Kelshans and
the three engineers – you’ll soon have your own squad.’

Tika gaped at her.
‘You’re joking!’

Cyrek was laughing
aloud when Jemin marched into the hall with a group of guards, both
his own Dark guards and several Kelshans. Their uniforms were torn,
damp and dirty, but the men all looked cheerful.

‘Five more,’ Jemin
called to Tika as he went to stand close to the fire.

‘And how many men have
you lost,’ Tika murmured for Gossamer and Cyrek’s ears
alone.

Their attention was
drawn back to the door as another man arrived. He looked round the
hall and headed towards Cyrek. He was smiling when he reached the
table, his eyes the brightest gold. Cyrek got to his feet and
received an exuberant hug from the newcomer.

‘Tika, this is Shivan,
come to replace Daylith I believe.’

Tika always found it
impossible to estimate people’s ages much beyond young or old, but
she felt Shivan was perhaps in his early twenties, very young
indeed for a Dark Lord with mage powers. His smile was unreserved,
and held a hint of mischief. She found herself smiling back as she
returned his greeting.

‘I’ve never been
allowed to make a gateway outside the Realm,’ he confided. ‘It was
no more difficult, although I was told that it would
be.’

Cyrek led him off to
report to Jemin and Tika saw Gossamer’s smirk.

‘What?’ she
demanded.

‘A nice good looking
boy like that, definitely an asset for your squad – if not your
army.’

Tika glared. ‘What
would I do with an army? And he can’t help his good
looks.’

‘Hah! So you agree he’s
handsome!’

‘Oh.’ Tika was
speechless with affront but saved by Shea approaching with General
Beslow. Tika went to the old man, the lamp light revealing his age
but also the fact that he did look rested.

‘Do you feel better
General?’ she asked. ‘You haven’t slept long.’

‘I’m fine my dear,’ he
assured her. ‘Better see what’s been going on though.’ He joined
Jemin beside the fire.

Shea watched him. ‘He
reminds me of Waxin Pule.’

‘Who?’

‘He was Advisor to the
Imperium but he got me to the Dark Realm with Gossamer. I do hope
he’s all right.’

In reply to Tika’s
blankness she added: ‘Bad chest.’

They watched the two
engineers, Onion and Darrick come into the hall and scurry almost
furtively over to Dog.

‘I thought they were
all engineers,’ said Tika. ‘Yet those two seem to take orders from
Dog.’

‘Well of course. She’s
been a sergeant.’ Shea’s tone implied this was almost too obvious
to need to be explained.

Tika started to reply
when she felt a huge gathering of power all around her. She slammed
shields about her mind, bracing them with all her new power.
Whatever sought to snatch her mind, fell back, but Tika also found
herself falling, away from that aggression and into something
else.

Sket was across the
room the instant Shea screamed, crouching beside Tika’s limp body.
Everyone gathered round but it was the young Dark Lord Shivan who
gently lifted Tika’s head and shoulders onto his lap. His bright
gold eyes lifted to Cyrek’s.

‘She’s descended into
the Dark,’ he whispered. ‘Has she been prepared?’

‘Mother Dark take good
care of her.’ Cyrek’s face was stricken. ‘She knows nothing of a
descent.’

Gossamer Tewk knelt
beside Shivan. ‘What about Lord Dabray? Could he help
her?’

Cyrek looked at
Gossamer in amazement, but then Shea was rummaging under Tika’s
jacket. She withdrew her hand and there were the two scales. A
breath hissed between Shivan’s teeth.

‘Perhaps it could work.
Put them in her hands. But what is that?’

The egg shaped pendant
that Tika always wore under her shirt now lay exposed. Those
gathered round gasped. The pendant was pulsing, in time with Tika’s
heart.

Tika fell. After the
first moments of pure panic she realised what was happening,
unlikely as it might be. In utter blackness, she sank. She had the
sensation of speed, and in the same moment she knew she must try to
stop herself falling. She had a very clear sense of up and down,
and understood she needed to rise. Tika felt a burning in her chest
and knew that somehow whatever dwelt inside her pendant had been
activated and was trying to give her support.

Cautiously, she raised
both arms straight above her head and slowly swept them downwards.
There was no resistance such as she would have experienced in
water. She repeated the movement a dozen times, convinced she was
rising. But the effort tired her and she had to rest, arms extended
to the sides, as if keeping herself afloat. Tika felt something
nearby in the total Darkness but it was no threat. In fact, she
sensed sorrow, an enormous, exhausting grief emanating from
whatever drifted in the Dark so close to her.

Tika let her head fall
forward. She felt an endless depth beneath her, an endless expanse
all around her. She raised her head again, her eyes wide, trying to
find the tiniest hint of light. Her arms felt heavy and gradually
drooped to her sides. At once she began to sink again. She felt so
tired, unbearably tired. Would it hurt if she rested for a
while?

Her arms snapped up. Of
course she mustn’t rest. Come on, she told herself. This is a tiny
fraction of what Lerran endured for Farn, and is still enduring.
She would do no less. But she was tired. Her head turned sharply to
the left. Was that Gan’s voice? It sounded like him, scolding her
as always for something she’d forgotten to do. She called his name,
but the voice was silent. She was so tired.

Tika came to with a
jolt. Had she really been stupid enough to sleep? How far had she
fallen again? It felt colder now, and her limbs were stiff. Once
more she reached up, dragging her arms back down and kicking her
legs at the same time. She had no way of knowing how much time had
passed. Suddenly Tika froze. Something huge was rising from the
depths far below her. She sensed a primitive presence, a basic
aggression. Then it began to fade again.