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

Konya lowered her voice
and her eyes flicked in Ren’s direction. ‘Maybe he knows more than
he realises.’

Tika watched Ren. He
stood between the bookcases, despite what she’d told him, and was
running his fingertips over the wall, obviously trying to feel the
outline of the door. Her gaze moved on and she saw Dog leaning
negligently against another bookcase, her eyes fixed on Ren’s
back.

‘There’s nothing here
worth staying for,’ she said loudly. ‘We’ll go back to Volk and
consider our next move.’

Shivan trotted down the
stairs at her side.

‘I have no sense of
where your Namolos is. Do you think he could be with whatever
caused that uncontrolled burst of power?’

Tika slowed as they
walked along the balcony overlooking the vast, dark
hall.

‘Unless you want to
take a trip home and see if Corman’s got any other ideas, I suggest
we try to find the source of our headaches. And no, I don’t think
Namolos is involved there.’ She grinned but there was little humour
in the expression. ‘And keep your eye on Ren from now on
please.’

Shivan nodded, showing
no surprise. They both took deep breaths as they emerged from the
Menedula building. Tika looked back at it.

‘Something went very
wrong here, long ago. I have the oddest feeling it should shine,
although it is black stone. Yet it doesn’t reflect any light.’ She
faltered on her next step down towards the garden when Shivan
spoke.

‘It should shine,’ he
said. ‘But it’s like blood metal. It just drinks in the light as
our metal drinks blood.’

Entering the walled
garden, they saw that Volk and Geffal had the horses saddled and
ready to leave. Farn was waiting there too, his eyes indicating
anxiety. Tika went straight to him, to reassure him all was
well.

‘I told Volk there is a
place not far, to the north west,’ he told her. ‘We don’t like this
place, my Tika. Volk doesn’t like it either, so we decided we’d
leave as soon as you came out of the building.’

Farn’s words were
transmitted to everyone in the garden and Ren strode
forward.

‘But we can’t just
leave, there’s so much to sort out here.’ He spoke with barely
suppressed anger.

Tika moved to collect
her pack and hold Khosa’s travelling sack open for her.

‘We move on Ren,’ she
said steadily.

‘No. I will remain here
at least.’ Ren’s usually pale face was flushed.

Those guards preparing
to lead their horses, turned as one, hands on weapons. Sket stood
ahead of them, watching Ren. Tika tilted her head to one side,
Khosa’s face peering out beneath her chin.

‘Supplies Ren? I don’t
think much is left here, and we can only spare a
little.’

Ren waved a hand
dismissively. ‘I need little, and I’m sure I’ll find enough.’ His
normally warm brown eyes were hard and flat. ‘Finn Rah and Babach
are on their way, with Lady Mena.’

‘Lady Mena?’ Tika was
incredulous. ‘You call her Lady, Ren?’

‘Yes.’ He spat the
word. ‘I spoke with Finn Rah through dreams several nights ago. She
said the pendant left by Myata for her successor, has vanished. She
believes it stolen by one of your peasant followers. I suggest you
return it to me at once.’

Tika stiffened, even as
Sket moved. His sword tip was touching Ren’s throat. ‘I’m sure
you’d like to put that differently,’ Sket suggested
softly.

‘Ren, that pendant was
dead around Mena’s throat. Mena had a tiny amount of power, enough
to tell small fortunes among her friends, but not enough to earn
her way with it. She has been touched by Cho Petak’s power and Finn
Rah has chosen to elevate the child far above her capabilities. Can
you truly not see that yourself?’

‘Finn Rah said that you
would say these things. You, slave born, are jealous of Lady
Mena.’

Ren stopped as Sket’s
sword punctured his skin. A bead of blood trickled down his
throat.

‘Sket,’ Tika said
sharply. ‘Enough. Leave rations enough for a couple of days. We
leave now.’ She approached to stand opposite Ren, her eyes like
green ice. ‘I regarded you as a friend. But no more. I would guess
that you and Finn Rah will set Mena up as some powerful ruler
whilst you pull her strings. I can find it in me to have some
sympathy with the child, but for you, now, I have only
contempt.’

She turned to Farn and
climbed on his back. Sket said something more to Ren, too low for
her to catch, then he sheathed his sword and swung up onto Farn.
Only then did she realise her companions had gone. She saw two
packs were propped against the wall as Farn rose into the
air.

‘What did you say to
him, Sket?’ she asked over her shoulder.

‘Nothing.’

She waited.

‘Just that I’ll kill
him, next time I see him.’

Below, they saw Volk
leading the company on foot across a park like an expanse of
unkempt grass, towards bare branched trees. Kija flew above them
while Brin was half a league ahead. Storm wheeled in to keep pace
with Farn. Tika said nothing, although she was aware that Farn was
mind speaking the Dragons. When Farn increased speed and caught up
with Kija, Tika realised they’d flown within a light
shielding.

It was indeed only a
short distance that Volk led them, but the atmosphere lightened
perceptibly with each step away from the Menedula and its blighted
town. Volk left the guards to settle the horses and backtracked
their trail. Tika strongly suspected he would change his form to
check for any hint that Ren might be stupid enough to at least mark
the way they had come. She bespoke Kija when Farn landed near his
mother.

‘You think a shield is
necessary?’

‘I distrusted Finn
Rah’s sincerity when first I met her,’ Kija replied. ‘Kadi is with
them, but she has refused to carry any other than Mena. Finn Rah
tried to order her to carry six men who are weapons trained. I fear
for Kadi’s safety among them now, Tika.’

Tika leaned against the
gold Dragon for a moment. ‘Would she join us, do you
think?’

Kija’s sigh ruffled
Tika’s hair. ‘She is full of guilt for bringing that child here. No
matter how the child has changed, Kadi will try to protect
her.’

‘I felt an oddness
about Finn Rah’s power, although it did not seem strong to
me.’

‘Ask Volk.’

Volk had just
reappeared between the trees and Tika chose to follow Kija’s
advice. She intercepted him before he could reach the
company.

‘What can you tell me
of Finn Rah’s power, Volk?’

He spat, a reaction she
was getting used to. His small dark eyes met hers briefly then
returned to checking and rechecking the camp site.

‘She’s old blood. Like
me,’ he clarified. ‘Only, from what I’ve heard she can change to
different forms as she chooses.’

Tika looked
blank.

‘I can only change to
the bear form, and my ancestors too – always, only to a bear.
Others are the same. You remember that hawk I pointed out to you,
and told you it was a young woman I knew? All her family, those who
change, it’s always to a hawk.’

He spat again. ‘There
are stories among us, of great mages who could take any form and
had great powers besides. We believe Finn Rah was one who could
change like that but did not also have the mage powers. She can
only change herself.’

‘So she is one of your
people – what did you call them – old blood?’

‘No.’ Volk was firm.
‘We’d heard of her and her abilities, but she denied the old blood.
She kept it very quiet, how she could change – said it was her
manipulation of power rather than something she inherited through
her blood. She was the chief persecutor of our people these last
four generations at least.’

Chapter
Four

Tika, in spite of
Kija’s shield, was nervous that they were still relatively close to
Syet. Shivan was quieter than usual: he enjoyed the jokes and
stories at their nightly halts but tonight he was withdrawn, lying
on his blankets and staring up at the stars. But there were few
jests this night, all were made sombre by Ren’s strangely hostile
behaviour. Before it grew too dark, Sket put all the guards through
a series of weapons drill, taking on each of them himself until he
was dripping with sweat, even though it had turned colder
again.

Tika understood he was
working off both his anger and his dismay at what he saw as Ren’s
disloyalty to Tika. He stripped off his shirt and washed in the icy
streamlet at the edge of the camp and returned, teeth chattering,
to accept a bowl of tea from Essa. The camp was soon quiet although
Tika didn’t think even half the company were really asleep. Khosa
picked her way among the recumbent bodies until she reached Volk.
Farn snored gently, leaning against Storm and Tika curled by his
chest.

But she could not
sleep. It was easy to slide the thinnest thread out from Kija’s
shield, and Tika sent the thread questing to the north. She allowed
herself to watch where the thread led, but could make out only
trees gradually climbing into a hillier region. Her mental thread
crept back to her and at last, she yawned, snuggled closer to Farn,
and slept.

The company were up,
fed, and ready to go at dawn, the Dragons taking their usual riders
again. Farn flew near Brin and Essa called across to
Tika.

‘How close behind us do
you think those others might be?’

Kija answered in the
mind voice from higher above them. ‘They will probably reach that
building later today.’ She forestalled Essa’s next question. ‘Kadi
spoke to me at first light, but she hasn’t since then.’

Essa caught Tika’s
quick shake of the head and asked no more. Tika understood Kija’s
worry. Kadi and she had been friends, almost sisters, for
centuries, and now Kija feared for Kadi’s survival among people led
by one she deeply distrusted: Finn Rah. Although Tika and Shivan
could find no hint of power in the direction they were travelling,
they stayed alert for it. The rest of the company relaxed again as
the terrain slowly began to rise.

They were three days
out from the Menedula, fortunately halted as usual in the middle of
the day, when Kija screamed. Brin’s cry came only a heartbeat
later, and Tika sprinted from the gathered company to hurl herself
on Farn’s back even as he was lifting from the ground. Sket stood
for a moment, watching the four Dragons and the Lady he served
dwindling in the distance. He turned back to their fire, only large
enough to brew the inevitable tea, and sat down beside
it.

‘What?’ Dog thrust her
face into his. ‘What happened?’

‘Kadi,’ was Sket’s
quiet reply.

Shivan walked a little
apart from the company and shimmered into his Dragon form. They
watched him rise and follow the other Dragons at a phenomenal
speed. Sket reached for the kettle and poured himself another bowl
of tea.

‘Finn Rah caused Kadi
to either sleep or somehow become unresisting.’

Volk squatted beside
Dog, staring at Sket who raised his eyes from his tea.

‘They hacked her head
off.’

Volk pushed up to his
feet, his face twisted with rage and sorrow. The air shivered
around him and a bear, far larger than Sergeant Essa, stood in his
place. No one moved, except Shea. She came alongside Sket, resting
a hand on his shoulder as she looked up into the bear’s
face.

‘They would thank you
greatly Volk, for your trust in us, and for your
sympathy.’

The old healer Konya
squinted across the fire at Shea. Where did that child get her
dignity, and her knack for saying exactly what was
needed?

The air shivered again
and Volk, the man, returned. He stood almost defiantly, daring any
comments or judgement. Only Essa risked speaking.

‘I just knew you were a
bear,’ she said, in a tone of deepest satisfaction.

Interest in Volk
dissipated when Onion asked Sket if he knew what their Dragons
would do? And Lady Tika – how could they help her from here? A
faint thaw touched Sket’s frozen face at Onion’s concern. He
shrugged.

‘They’ll tell us when
they get back I’m sure. Let’s just try and rest, we won’t move on
until they return.

They kept the fire
going throughout the night: no one even pretended to sleep. It was
near dawn although still dark when Sket leapt to his feet. A flurry
of wings, and three Dragons landed – Farn, Storm and Brin. Tika
slid from Farn’s back and hurried to Sket. She threw her arms round
him, hugging him tight.

‘I’m sorry Sket, I had
to go, and nothing would have made them wait.’

Briefly Sket closed his
eyes and returned her hug. Then he pushed her away a little as
Kazbeck thrust a bowl of tea at her. Tika looked round at the
relieved faces, pale in the dim light.

‘I’m sorry,’ she
repeated to them all.

‘Where’s Kija?’ asked
Essa.

‘Where’s Lord Shivan?’
asked Volk at the same time.