Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (54 page)

Tika was startled.
‘Storm’s been swimming with the Chyliax?’

‘Yes. He met Corax’s
mother. He said she was very nice.’

‘Is that where he is
now? And where is Brin?’

‘Brin’s been exploring
the island. He found some very kind people who fed him.’

Now Tika was alarmed
rather than startled. ‘But why would people feed him?’

‘They gave him three
goats and he told them lots of stories about his
adventures.’

Tika groaned aloud and
sent a hasty query to Kija. Kija was apparently some distance away,
basking in a sheltered glade. She agreed to investigate Brin’s
activities, but Tika had a strong conviction the gold Dragon was
intending to go back to sleep. Subaken emerged from the house and
hovered, unsure whether she should interrupt Tika and Farn. Tika
smiled.

‘Has your father
gone?’

‘Just a moment ago.’
Subaken tentatively touched Farn’s shoulder. ‘He is very
beautiful.’

Tika pulled a face.
‘You shouldn’t tell him that; he will grow far too
conceited.’

Still not entirely sure
about human teasing, Farn peered into her face but was reassured by
her fond expression.

‘I will simply grow
more beautiful, my Tika. Just like you.’

Tika gave him a gentle
push. ‘You talk such nonsense sometimes, dear one. Go and fly for a
while.’

‘And you will fly too?’
His eyes whirred in delight.

‘Yes. Come
on.’

She grabbed Subaken’s
hand and hauled her onto Farn’s back. There was a squeak of
surprise and Subaken’s arms clamped around Tika’s waist as Farn
lifted into the air. He flew very sedately until he sensed the
Shadow Daughter relax, and then increased his speed. He took them
eastwards, first over thick woodland, then open farm land until he
came to a wide white beach. He landed and Tika and Subaken slid
from his back.

Farn paced down the
damp sand and into the rippling waves. Tika watched him then
started to walk parallel with him, but further up the beach,
Subaken at her side.

‘That scar on his
neck,’ Subaken began.

‘It nearly killed us
both,’ Tika replied quietly, and Subaken fell silent
again.

Tika stopped suddenly.
‘Will you be missed? Oh I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have whisked you
off.’

Subaken laughed. ‘I
told my mother where I was – when I managed to open my
eyes.’

‘I thought you use mind
speech, although Dromi told me that his people can’t.’

‘My Tika and dearest
Subaken, come and see what I’ve found.’ Farn’s mind tone was
seductively inviting.

The two young women
turned to see Farn half submerged, but his long neck stretched back
towards the beach as he peered with fascination at something they
couldn’t see. They began to walk towards him. Tika nudged
Subaken.

‘I apologise in
advance. This is a trick he learned from Storm.’

They’d reached the
water just in front of Farn’s nose, their bare toes flinching from
the tickle of the waves. Farn surged to his feet, his wings
scooping water with deadly accuracy over both women. He backed
away, his laughter pealing through their minds while they stood
soaked and gasping and speechless. Tika saw him lower himself for
more wingfuls of water and dragged Subaken back, hopefully out of
range. Farn bellowed in mock rage and chased after them, dousing
them once more but not quite so thoroughly.

‘You win!’ Tika yelled
at him, and he paddled happily back into the water.

She risked a glance at
the Shadow Lord’s daughter. Droplets of water glittered over
Subaken’s skull and on her cheeks, matching a wild glitter in her
green eyes.

‘You let him get away
with that?’ she asked.

Tika hesitated, not
sure of Subaken’s mood.

‘Can you swim?’ Subaken
demanded.

Tika shook her head and
Subaken spun towards the sea. She raced after Farn and leaped,
pulling his neck and head down, under the water. He emerged
spluttering and huffing indignantly and was promptly dunked again
by a small woman shrieking with mad laughter. Eventually he
realised this was another sort of game and used his wings to squash
Subaken under the waves. His look of triumph changed to concern and
he stared worriedly down where Subaken had been. But she had swum
under his belly and surfaced behind him to give his tail an
enormous tug. Tika sat at a discreet distance up the beach and
laughed until she cried.

Subaken conceded
victory to Farn and collapsed next to Tika.

‘It must be wonderful
to have such a friend.’

Tika was watching Farn
snapping at long strands of sea weed that were apparently attacking
his tail. ‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘Wonderful.’

While Tika played on
the beach through the afternoon with Subaken and Farn, Dromi had
joined the rest of her companions in the room they now considered
their territory. There was silence when he came in but not a
critical or condemning silence, merely one which suggested
curiosity. Rhaki patted the empty couch beside him.

‘Come and talk to us
Dromi. We’ve heard much of what you’ve learnt, I think. Had you no
inkling before?’

Dromi sat down and Sket
pushed the inevitable bowl of tea into his hand.

‘There is a small group
within the Brotherhood who have always held that there was a link,
long ago, with the Shadow Realm. I was ambivalent. Some of their
theories seemed convincing, and others too outrageous to consider
seriously.’

He gazed down at his
long fingered hands, then glanced up at his audience.

‘It was overwhelming to
find myself here, to learn these are really my people, that I am of
the same blood. But although Chancellor Konrik has offered me a
place among them, to act as a link with those left behind in
Drogoya and who now call themselves Old Bloods, if Lady Tika
permits, I would rather stay with this company.’

Shea beamed at him.
‘This family you mean,’ she said, unaware of thoughtful looks cast
in her direction. She put her hands on her hips. ‘Anyone like a
game of snap-the-rat?’

It was surprising how
busy people were just then, but Navan grinned at her.

‘That game gets tedious
after a while. I know a couple of others I could show
you.’

Essa watched the two
vanish into the garden and groaned. ‘Sket, should we be even more
vigilant?’

Sket grinned. ‘Navan
likes to play dice, so be warned. Are you sure you want to stay
with us?’ he asked Dromi. ‘I won’t have anyone in this company with
divided loyalties.’

Dromi’s strange, many
coloured eyes looked up directly into Sket’s. ‘I will give my life
for the Lady Tika.’

His words had the
resonance of a solemn vow, and after a brief moment, Sket gave a
single nod and moved away. Fedran asked permission to go into the
town and Sket gave his approval.

‘No trouble though. If
these people have taverns, you stay out of them.’

Fedran nodded and
departed with Kazmat and Geffal.

‘Come on, Onion.’ Essa
got to her feet and Onion watched her with deep
suspicion.

Her filed, purple teeth
showed when she smiled at him. ‘It’s time you started getting used
to weapons drill using only one eye.’

Before Onion could
complain, the Sergeant took a handful of his shirt front and lifted
him to his feet. Well, off his feet for a moment in fact. Onion’s
remaining eye rolled beseechingly towards Dog, who smirked. One
huge hand on Onion’s shoulder, Essa propelled him
outside.

‘It’s for your own good
Onion. It takes time to adjust to single vision, just as you have
to relearn your balance if you lose an arm or a leg.’

‘Is he fit enough Dog?’
Sket asked quietly.

‘It’s healed really
well. Essa checked with Konya last night. Konya said exercise would
be good as long as his head isn’t banged too much.’

Rhaki looked aghast. ‘I
think I’ll just make sure the Sergeant remembers not to get too
enthusiastic.’

‘He’s seen those
flashes of light again.’ Although only Sket and Dog remained, Dog
lowered her voice. ‘It happened before Tika called the Chyliax. It
happened when we brought her back here, and each day she was gone.
Several times in those days. Nothing so far today.’

‘What does Konya
think?’

‘She’s never heard of
anything like it. She said we should tell Tika.’

‘She’s gone off with
Farn.’ Sket was thoughtful. ‘But one of us must tell her at the
first chance.’

Dog nodded. ‘That
Shadow Lady went with them, didn’t she? It is very odd. I thought,
the first time I saw one of those creatures with tusks, that they
were nightmare monsters, like the ones nasty old grannies scare the
wits out of innocent children with.’

Sket snorted. ‘When
were you ever an innocent child, Dog?’

Dog ignored such a
contemptible remark. ‘But since we’ve been here with all the people
looking like that, without the tusks,’ she amended. ‘They are
actually quite beautiful, don’t you think? Their heads remind me of
those pendants, all smooth and sort of elegant.’

Sket opened his mouth
to make another sarcastic comment and closed it again and frowned.
She had a point, he decided, and made a mental note to repeat it to
Tika, whenever she chose to come back. Even as he went into the
courtyard to scan the sky, he saw Farn’s familiar outline circling
high overhead. He watched Farn’s slowly looping glide and mused on
this place.

Like Tika, he’d
immediately seen the similarity between this building and the great
palace of the Emperor of Wendla. But where the Emperor was closely
guarded behind high walls and by magnificent armsmen, the Shadow
Lord had no such protection. He walked among his people and
discussed such mundane things as recipes for a fish soup – Sket had
overheard that conversation himself. People had seemed fairly free
to come and go in the Karmazen Palace, but the First Daughter
herself lived fairly secluded: Sket didn’t think many of the
ordinary folk of the town could wander in for a chat.

Ren had said the upper
floors of the Menedula in Syet were well guarded – citizens spoke
to lesser officials in the public halls on the ground floor only.
As these thoughts went through his mind, Farn landed. Tika and
Subaken came towards the house and Sket’s eyes narrowed. They were
both soaking wet. He also saw their smiles so he forbore to
comment.

‘We’re starving,’
Subaken told him cheerfully. ‘We’ll just get dry clothes and I’ll
ask for food to be brought.’ A thought struck her. ‘Unless you’d
like a proper banquet tonight?’

Tika giggled. ‘Don’t be
silly. None of us would know how to behave at a
banquet.’

Sket watched them go
into the house, thankful that his Lady seemed to have had a day of
pleasure, without worries, without alarms. He strolled over to
Farn.

‘Had a good time?’ he
enquired.

And he received a full
report of the glorious excitement of the day.

Shivan used an ordinary
Dark gateway rather than a Dragon gate, but he still brought them
to the roof terrace rather than appearing suddenly among too many
Dark Ones within the Palace. Darallax appeared a child beside the
tall young Dark Lord as Shivan quietly moved to the entrance. Two
men strode out to confront them, then halted in surprise. Corman
stared, and stared.

‘Darallax?’

The Shadow Lord, to
Shivan’s astonishment, touched his left thumb to his brow, his lips
and chest, then spread his three fingered hand towards Corman.
‘Corman.’

The man with Corman was
Shield Master Garrol and he was staring open mouthed at the Shadow
Lord.

‘I beg your permission
to see my sister,’ Darallax said softly.

‘Of course.’

Corman started into the
archway. As Darallax crossed the threshold, the walls seemed to
groan aloud and shiver. Shivan glanced at Darallax who placed his
hand flat to the nearest wall and closed his eyes. After a handful
of heartbeats, Darallax straightened, his expression filled with an
immeasurable sadness, and Corman led him on.

Garrol and Shivan
slowed of one accord, letting Corman take the Shadow Lord on to the
First Daughter’s private rooms. Garrol gave a soft
whistle.

‘How did you ever find
him? We thought he and his people were lost entirely.’

‘Tika.’

‘Aah.’

‘And she found the
Chyliax – inside the Splintered Kingdom. I’d never heard tell of
them.’

Garrol gaped again.
Shivan continued, making the most of the Shield Master’s
amazement.

‘Tika got the Chyliax
out and popped them back to Darallax.’

Garrol frowned.
‘Perhaps not as easily as you make it sound. Is she all
right?’

‘Yes. She used a very
odd combination of power to call the Chyliax – that’s all she did.
Stood with Darallax and called aloud, and they came.’