Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (59 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Darallax finally
subsided onto a bench at an angle from Tika. She watched as shadows
clambered over his knees and crawled up his arms.

‘Did you find that
source?’

‘There was a mind
signature. The one that Shivan showed us.’

‘Cyrek.’ Tika’s tone
was flat.

‘Cyrek.’ Darallax
agreed. ‘And yet we could not find the location – it was as though
he was everywhere and yet nowhere.’

‘Could he have been
flying, in Dragon form?’

‘That is a
possibility.’

‘How far can you reach
with mind speech?’

‘Considerably.’

‘To the Dark
Realm?’

‘Alas no. Not that
far.’

Tika struggled to
visualise one of Navan’s maps to estimate how far they were from
the Dark Realm. And failed completely. Yet Farn’s screams had been
heard, all around this world, as far as she had been told. He had
caused dreadful mental distress among the Dark Ones while he was
thousands of miles away on the southern plains of
Sapphrea.

‘Would the shielding
over Skaratay have blocked mind communication
completely?’

Darallax nodded. ‘We
removed the shielding the day after you arrived, but even before
the Splintered Kingdom came, we could not reach the Dark Ones from
Steadfast through mind speech.’

‘Where were they based,
before that happened?’

Darallax waved a hand,
scattering clumps of shadows which then scurried back to his
feet.

‘The Dark Ones chose an
island, much like this one, while we chose the land you call
Drogoya and which we called Skaratay. Their island was named
Karmazen.’

Tika strongly suspected
that the island of Karmazen could well prove to be called Wendla in
these times, but she said nothing.

‘I would ask you not to
use portals – gateways – for now.’ He forestalled her question.
‘Corman will have been aware of what happened to this messenger. He
will not risk sending another yet.’

Tika twisted Garrol’s
ring round her thumb.

‘What about far
seeking? When I far seek, my mind remains anchored to one of the
Dragons, or to Rhaki or Shivan. Do you think Cyrek could sense
that, or attack me then?’

‘Far seeking is not a
skill we possess.’ Darallax stared down at the shadows twining
through his fingers. ‘I could send shadows,’ he said slowly. He
looked up. ‘It is a game played by some of our more gifted
children: sending shadows to startle a friend – things like
that.’

‘But could shadows
bring you information? Are they capable of thought?’ Tika sounded
doubtful.

‘Well these aren’t
particularly intelligent.’ He lifted his hand, a clump of shadow
filling his palm. ‘They know me of course, and show their affection
as you can see. But I can command others, darker shadows, which
possess much intelligence.’

‘And are they linked to
you?’

‘No.’ There was a hint
of – what?Hope, excitement? ‘Shadows are free to come and go. I can
command them to do something, but unless I am very specific, they
will accomplish their task by their own methods and
means.’

Despite her increasing
burden of worries, Tika found herself intrigued by the idea of
sending out shadows to spy, or to - .

‘How can shadows
survive?’ she asked, ‘Can they be attacked or destroyed? Can they
defend themselves?’

Darallax’s emerald eyes
glinted in the lantern light. ‘They can kill,’ he said
simply.

Tika saw that all the
shadows clinging to him seemed to freeze, to solidify, as though
they had been listening to their master’s words and now awaited his
orders.

‘Could they get into
the Kingdom?’

‘It could perhaps be
possible.’ There was definite excitement in Darallax’s tone
now.

Tika got up and began
pacing as the Shadow Lord had done before, being careful to avoid
stepping on any shadows. Just in case.

‘Your shielding
Darallax, was that done by the shadows?’

He looked a little
surprised. ‘But of course.’

‘So could they shield
me?’

Without a word or
movement from the Shadow Lord, the shadows fled from him towards
Tika. She gritted her teeth but felt nothing. Darallax grinned at
her.

‘I can see you of
course, but if you call any of your friends, they would
not.’

Really?’ Tika extended
her hand – it was perfectly visible to her.

Darallax stood and came
close. He looked thoughtful. ‘You can command them,’ he said in
surprise. ‘Tell them to hide something – a flower, a bench,
whatever.’

Tika stared helplessly
round the arbour. ‘Hide the lantern,’ she thought. The light
disappeared instantly and Tika gaped. ‘Reveal the light.’ The
lantern shone as steadily as before.

‘But why should they
obey me, I am not of Shadow?’

Darallax reached for
her hand, holding it loosely in his. His up tilted eyes seemed
unfocused for a moment.

‘There are markers of
Shadow within you.’

Tika sighed. ‘Lady
Emla’s people are not originally of this world as you know, but
they say there are indications I have their blood within me too.
The Dark Ones have claimed the same. How can this be?’

‘Perhaps Mother Dark
knows.’

Oh and I’m definitely
going to jump into the Dark just to ask her aren’t I, Tika thought
irritably.

‘We should join your
friends,’ Darallax suggested. He moved to leave the small arbour.
‘I looked in on Khosa earlier. She is much improved.’

Tika began to follow
the Shadow Lord but when they reached the great mosaic in the
centre of the courtyard he stopped. His face was serious but his
eyes twinkled.

‘Maybe you should
dismiss the shadows concealing you or your friends might wonder
where you are?’ he suggested mildly.

‘Oh.’ Tika thought what
she should say. ‘Shadows leave me – for now.’ Just to be sure, she
called them back. ‘Shadows hide me.’

Darallax’s smile began
to broaden. A little embarrassed, she dismissed the shadows again
and walked on.

‘Can they communicate?’
she asked. ‘I mean, obviously they understood my thoughts, but can
I hear theirs?’

‘Sometimes.’

Tika found Darallax’s
reply singularly unhelpful but they had reached the heap of
reclining Dragons and Tika did not want to share this new ability
just yet. Darallax nodded politely to the companions and passed on
through the room with no comment. Tika stood in front of
Shivan.

‘Do you know who the
messenger was, who came from Corman last night?’

‘No. I was aware that a
gateway had opened close by, but I was not summoned.’

‘The gate was
destroyed.’

Shivan’s pale skin
paled further impossible as that seemed.

‘You are on no account
to attempt opening a gate until I give you leave. Is that
clear?’

Shivan swallowed. ‘Yes.
Was it Cyrek?’

‘Darallax’s watchers
caught Cyrek’s mind signature, yes.’

Tika perched on the arm
of Onion’s chair. ‘Did you find anything, when you recalled those
conversations?’

‘Nothing. But you asked
me about Dabray too. I only know that he is nearly as old as the
First Daughter, and she is the oldest of all. They have been
together since they were young children. This is only from stories,
nothing definite you understand. The stories that whisper among
students, as they always do, say they had twins, a boy and a girl.
But no more is known of them, not even their names. Both Dabray and
Lerran were in the thick of the battle with the Splintered Kingdom
and while Lerran was recovering – she was in a similar state as she
is now – Dabray vanished.

‘Rumours said he was
hidden in the Palace, that he had been hideously disfigured, or
that he had become mad.’ Shivan glanced around at the companions.
‘My father must have known the truth of course, but although he
spoke of Dabray at home sometimes, I never repeated what he said,
to anyone. It was family, private, not gossip.’

Essa nodded
encouragingly when he met her eyes.

‘I knew that Dabray was
deep below the Palace and that he had struck a bargain with Mother
Dark. It wasn’t until you agreed to let me be of your company that
Corman took me down to actually meet Dabray. My heart broke for
him, and for Lerran. If our survival has cost him over a thousand
years of slowly being absorbed into the very stone of Karmazen,
then it should be known. We should salute his unbelievable courage
and endurance, not let silly stories be whispered among the
children that old Dabray is hidden away, mad and in
chains.’

Silence fell as
everyone considered Shivan’s words.

‘From what you’ve said,
Tika, it was Lord Dabray who aided you in Kelshan? So the powers of
the Dark Ones extend much further than do mine for instance,’ Rhaki
spoke thoughtfully.

‘I don’t think so. I
asked Darallax just now and he said he and the Dark Realm could not
reach each other by mind speech even long ago.’

She gave Navan a rather
sheepish smile. ‘I’m not too good about the distances, but we
contacted Corman through gateways in Kelshan, not through mind
speech.’

‘Yes but my people
don’t use mind speech,’ Shivan objected.

‘I’m sure you must have
done, once. Some of you at least. That’s the only way Dabray could
have known what was happening to me. And he took action, which
implies he can reach a long way and still have sufficient power to
use to considerable effect.’

Shivan frowned, not
convinced. ‘Why did they try so hard to make me sound crazy when I
was experimenting with mind speech?’

‘Did the First Daughter
mock you, or your father?’ Essa asked.

‘Well, no. None of the
senior Ones in the Palace, but all the teachers and the other
students.’

‘If they’d taken a
bashing, through those gateway things, perhaps they’d discourage
the mind stuff. Perhaps they’d be scared it could give ’em away to
the Crazed One,’ suggested Onion.

‘But gateways are made
using mind power,’ Tika argued.

‘No they’re not. It is
the saying of the ritual phrase. I do not do anything with my
mind.’

Tika scowled in
annoyance. ‘I’m going to see Khosa,’ she said abruptly.

She saw Onion’s hand
pressed over his patch as she got up from his chair. ‘Are you all
right Onion?’

‘Yeah. Those flashes of
light and colours are coming more often – all day today. And the
itching is enough to -’

Sket cleared his throat
noisily, giving the engineer a glare of warning. ‘Language please,
Onion.’

Essa rolled her eyes
and Tika departed. As she climbed the stairs to the room where
Khosa lay, her thumb tingled. Again. She tiptoed into the bedroom
where only a single lamp gave any light. Dog watched her come in,
raising a finger to her lips then pointing to a chair. Shea was
curled in the chair, wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep. Tika nodded
and crept closer to Dog.

‘She’s been moving a
bit, her paws twitched and so did her ears,’ Dog breathed into
Tika’s ear.

Tika probed towards
Khosa’s body first: much stronger, she found with satisfaction. But
she would have to eat soon and regain the flesh that had melted
from her bones. Centring her thoughts, Tika touched Khosa’s
mind.

‘Oh do let me
sleep.’

Tika blinked and bent
close over the small orange body. Surprisingly long eyelashes
flickered and Tika glimpsed a line of turquoise between the lids.
She heard Dog’s indrawn breath.

‘You’ve slept nearly
enough, dear one. You must wake soon and take food.’

Khosa’s whiskers pushed
forward and her mouth opened in a prodigious yawn. Tika ran a
finger lightly along the line of Khosa’s spine, the vertebrae far
too prominent now.

‘Khosa, you are one of
my family. I will not let you go. Do you understand me,
dearest?’

She thought Khosa would
not reply as the moments passed.

‘I had to
try.’

Tika closed her eyes,
then, with great care, she scooped the cat up against her shoulder,
crooning to her as Khosa had so often crooned to her.

‘Dog is here, and she
will fetch food. What is your choice, my little lady? Oh yes,’ Tika
gave Dog a watery smile. ‘Khosa is a Queen, the Queen of the Kephis
on Lady Emla’s estates. Now what is your pleasure your majesty –
fish, or fowl, or goat?’

Khosa’s mind voice was
very fragile and she still hadn’t found the strength to open her
eyes properly.

‘Too many bones in
fish. Rabbit would be nice.’

Dog was gone before
Tika could move, her feet pounding down the stairs.

‘Let’s hope Darallax’s
cooks just happen to have a rabbit handy. I’ll wager Dog would go
hunting one for you if they haven’t.’