Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (44 page)

They had discussed the
odd island Navan had found among his maps and it had been Navan who
suggested its connection with the egg shaped pendant Tika wore.
Tika pulled it free of her shirt, studying it for the thousandth
time.

‘You think this came
from the island?’ she asked.

‘I think there’s a
connection. Whether it actually came from there, I don’t
know.’

‘I’m sure that island
is the home of Shadow, Navan. You know your maps make hardly any
sense to me but I did look at that one of Kelshan and the Dark
Realm. I could pick out settlements, clusters of buildings,
especially around what is now Kelshan City and the Citadel. But
there was no sign of anything similar in the Dark Realm, although
from what I can work out, the Dark Ones settled there long before
Kelshan became a prosperous or civilised land. Therefore the Dark
Realm has some form of concealment which I have certainly not
sensed. But perhaps the blurred smudgy look of this map is due to a
kind of shielding.’

‘I admit I did wonder
that myself. When you open these gateway things, would they be
affected by such a shield?’

Tika frowned. ‘That’s
worth checking, and not just with Shivan. But if the Dark Realm is
shielded, we pass in and out of there without problems.’

‘What happened to Ren?’
Navan asked softly.

Tika sighed, and told
him. She also spoke of Kazbeck and Corim being killed inside the
Menedula. And she told him of Mena, Lord Hargon’s daughter, who
Navan had watched from babyhood, bullied by her two brothers and
scorned by her father. Tika enjoyed the morning. She was able to
stand away from the immediate dilemmas confronting her for a while
in the reassuring presence of someone she respected and trusted
completely. When, reluctantly she rose to leave, Navan opened the
door for her.

‘Tika,’ he began, then
stopped.

‘If you wish to travel
with us, you would be most welcome, old friend,’ Tika replied to
the question he’d hesitated to ask.

He nodded. ‘I would
like that very much.’

Lord Cyrek woke to find
himself on a hillside. The sun was low in the west and the scent of
herbs in the grass on which he lay told him where he was: on his
family estate, many miles from Karmazen. He rolled onto his back
with a groan, his head splitting with pain. He closed his eyes and
breathed deeply, trying to think clearly. Cyrek remembered
listening to that stupid little bitch, Tika, spouting rubbish in
the Karmazen Palace. They all thought she was so special, so
gifted, and she was nothing compared with him. He had touched her
mind when she lay unconscious in Kelshan and he had barely been
able to conceal his amusement.

They thought she had
power? He’d sensed no such thing. He would squash her like a bug
under his thumb when the right moment presented itself. Cyrek
remembered listening to her speak. Then, unable to contain his
mirth, he strode out of the main section of the Palace, around to
the series of high walled gardens where those Dark Ones who were in
the half death took the air after nightfall. He remembered walking
round the paths, chuckling aloud, and then - .

Then, he’d awoken here.
Cyrek’s arrogance refused to let him admit that any Dark One was
his match for power, so he didn’t even go through the names of
those who might have been nearby. His thought went instantly to the
Crazed One in his Splintered Kingdom. Although Cyrek had persuaded
himself that even the Crazed One’s power was intermittent, he had
begrudgingly realised there were moments when that power could be
focused and used deliberately.

When the bastard had
hit him, for example. Usually the Crazed One was confused,
rambling, unfocused. But in that one instant, his hand had lifted
and struck Cyrek without Cyrek seeing that hand begin to move. Why
had the Crazed One moved him from the Karmazen gardens these miles
to his family lands? Had he feared that Cyrek would take that girl
before the Crazed One could get her himself?

Despite the pain
hammering in his temples, Cyrek smiled. Obviously, the Crazed One
must appreciate just what manner of power Cyrek could command
against him. He had reacted impulsively, betraying his fear of this
Dark Lord. Cyrek lay there and laughed. The laugh was brief – it
hurt his head far too much to laugh as much as he would have
liked.

Deep in the very stone
of the Karmazen Palace, Lord Dabray sighed. Each breath was harder
than the last, but he would cling to what life he had, for as long
as he could. He believed in that child, and he had promised her
what help he could offer. He begged Mother Dark’s indulgence that
he would survive long enough to fulfil his promise. He had felt he
should not kill Cyrek yet, that the conceited fool had a part to
play in this deadly game. But he had wanted to. Oh how he’d wanted
to.

All of Tika’s
companions were in the dining room when Tika left Navan, all except
Shivan, she noted. She raised a questioning brow at Sket and he
jerked his head in the rough direction of the pavilion. Tika found
Shivan staring out of a window.

‘Was Onion really
strong enough to walk back to the House?’ she asked.

He spun round, unaware
anyone had come in. ‘He insisted he was. Dog was dreadfully rude to
him, then Sket joined in and the three of them went off, all arm in
arm. Tika, I am trying to understand. What I said earlier, well,
Farn told me he kept saying the wrong things by accident.’ He
ventured a smile. ‘I told him my parents have been telling me to
think before I speak for twenty years. He was shocked that I still
haven’t learnt in that much time.

‘Seriously though, I
have been raised in and around the Palace, very formally and
rigidly – manners and custom had to be closely followed. It might
help if people like me had to spend time with people like Essa and
Dog. We are the same people and yet so different.’

Tika curled up in an
armchair. ‘I thought you were quite shocked the first time you
heard Sket yelling at me.’

Shivan took a chair
opposite her. ‘I couldn’t believe my ears,’ he admitted. ‘In my
part of the Dark Realm – the Palace and the Academy – no one,
absolutely no one, would speak to one of higher rank in such a way,
and not face punishment.’

‘And do you now see
that there are no ranks among my company of friends?’

Shivan thought before
he replied. ‘You may think there are no ranks here Tika, but there
are. At the top is you, then Sket, then everyone else.’

Reluctantly, Tika knew
he was correct and offered no contradiction.

‘I apologise if my
words were wrong earlier Tika, I meant no rudeness.’

Tika sighed. ‘I know
Shivan. And you were partially right, but you must learn that I
reach many decisions in my own way. That isn’t to say I ignore
anyone else’s opinions. But I end up making the choices. Now, let’s
get some food – if there’s any left, and you can tell me where Farn
is.’

As they left the
pavilion, a small orange cat pushed herself out of the folds of
Onion’s discarded blanket and settled down for a thoughtful washing
session.

The Dragons had been
disappointed to find the Plavats were only illusions, although
they’d had some fun chasing wildly after the one Kemti had sent
outside. Until it simply melted at the edges and faded away. Kija
allowed that it had been a very good trick on Kemti’s part, but the
Merigs had been less amused. In fact, the three females who had
chosen to nest in Kemti’s room protested vigorously to Lady Emla
and then departed from the estate, their mates miserably trailing
behind them.

The company spent the
afternoon on the verandah outside the pavilion. Navan arrived with
a leather scroll case containing some of his maps and a pack with
his clothes. The Dark Lady Shiral, Shivan’s aunt visited them
later.

‘I returned home
yesterday,’ she told them at once. ‘Corman and Peshan aren’t clear
what happened but Cyrek disappeared after your speech, Lady Tika.
Corman was able to trace him this time, and found him unconscious
on his estates, which are some considerable distance from Karmazen.
He said there was an assumption that the Crazed One had hurled him
there. But I was to tell you Lady Tika, that Corman believes
another did so.’

Shiral frowned. ‘Corman
told me to say the name Seela to you, and then you would know who
he meant.’

Tika felt a jolt
through her entire body and her hand went involuntarily to the left
side of her shirt. In a pouch fastened inside the shirt were two
Dragon scales. One was a pale shimmering purple. The other was an
iridescent grey, tinted with every colour imaginable. Dabray? Could
that great Dragon, increasingly entombed within the stone of
Karmazen Palace still access such power? She saw Shivan behind
Shiral, the same realisation dawning in his bright yellow
eyes.

‘Corman also said the
earth has been shaking in many regions in the Drogoyan lands. It is
the senior Lords opinion that Drogoya is now aligned with the
Splintered Kingdom, locked more firmly to that part of this world,
than has been known before.’

Tika groaned. ‘Then
that is where we go. Now. Lady Shiral, will you tell Lady Emla for
me that she must keep her Seniors watching the borders
here.’

As she finished
speaking, Emla, Kemti and Konya came in. Quickly Tika explained her
intent, hugging first Emla, then Kemti.

‘Konya do you wish to
stay here?’

Konya glared at her and
simply went to fetch her pack.

‘Onion?’

His reply was a snarl,
which Tika took to mean that he would be coming with the
company.

‘Konya, you travel with
the Dragons,’ Tika ordered. ‘And you Sket. Emla, are you in regular
contact with Lallia and Seboth? Let them know all that has happened
– they must be on their guard now too.’

Then there was no more
time. The Dragons and Shivan had arranged a destination by some
means beyond anyone else’s understanding, and the Dragons were
already aloft. Shea clutched Khosa in her arms and stood close to
Essa. Shivan murmured a phrase in a tongue unknown to any of them,
and then Emla and Kemti stood alone on the pavilion steps. Kemti
slid an arm round Emla’s narrow waist.

‘It just isn’t fair
Kemti,’ Emla muttered.

His arm tightened
briefly. ‘Since when was life fair my dear?’

The company arrived in
an open grassy area on slightly higher ground from which they
looked down on an abandoned village. Volk and Daisy surveyed the
land around, and seeing them, Tika wondered how that horse had
known to be by the pavilion when Shivan opened a gateway. As though
aware of her gaze, Daisy swung her head in Tika’s direction and
curled a lip in a definite sneer.

‘Where are we?’ Tika
demanded.

‘Between Merriton and
Syet, and further south than either. That place was called Vardon I
think.’

Rhaki turned in a slow
circle. All he could see were three Dragons circling high overhead.
Farn was lying nearby, Sket and Konya trotting across the rough
grass to the company.

‘Marvellous,’ Konya
beamed at Tika. ‘Such a joy, not to feel desperately sick when we
got here. Why aren’t we sick?’

Tika laughed. ‘I have
no idea, but I’m pleased you’re not ill.’ She glanced at Volk
again. ‘Are any of your people around?’

He shook his head. ‘No
one.’

Volk’s horse jerked her
head from his hand and began to plod steadily down the
hill.

‘Where is she going?’
Tika asked warily.

Volk shrugged. ‘North
west.’

Tika watched Daisy for
a moment then Khosa shot past her legs and minced along at Daisy’s
heels, orange tail fluffed and upright. Tika shrugged.

‘Let’s just follow,’
she said to the companions. ‘Onion, you will get on Farn’s back.
No.’ Her voice hardened as the engineer opened his mouth. ‘No
argument. You will not march just yet.’

Farn was already pacing
up to Onion’s side.

‘And will you ride with
him Konya?’ Tika suggested softly. ‘I don’t want him falling
off.’

The healer nodded,
settling her pack on her shoulders before climbing behind Onion.
Farn lifted into the air and Essa fell into step beside
Tika.

‘Nicely done,’ she
grinned.

Tika ignored the
remark. ‘Where’s that bloody horse going, Volk?’

‘I don’t know for
sure.’ He sounded embarrassed.

‘The Oblaka,’ Dromi
said from behind Essa.

Tika looked over her
shoulder and met his strange, many coloured eyes. ‘You think so?
Why?’

‘Tunnels.’ His reply
was succinct.

Sket swore. ‘Why is it
always bloody tunnels?’ he complained.

‘How far are we from
the Oblaka, Volk?’

‘Two, three days
walk.’

Tika walked on for a
while in silent thought. ‘Dromi, why did you think tunnels are
important?’

The Old Blood
considered his words before offering a reply. ‘From what I know,
from my studies at Steadfast Rock, all references to the Place
Between which you call the Splintered Kingdom, describe tunnels. Or
at least, corridors with no windows and so no natural light. What
you have described of your experiences, seems a very similar place.
So this Crazed One must live underground, it is his natural
environment. My people in Steadfast Rock have no idea where the
Splintered Kingdom originated, or what type of being the Crazed One
might be.’