Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (39 page)

‘Can you keep the
shield when you sleep?’ he asked curiously, cutting slices from the
cheese and handing some to Ren.

Ren grunted, his mouth
full of fruit. ‘I can hold it for a week continuously, ten days at
most. Then I will tire too much. We should be where we’re going by
then.’

‘There have been no
farms since mid morning. Does no one live in these lands? I’ve
never been this way, only south.’

Ren shrugged. ‘Some
live here but mostly it is part of the wild lands, watched over by
several Observers.’

‘Must be a bleak kind
of life,’ Voron mused. ‘Short growing season, no grazing. Would
people find enough to hunt to survive do you think?’

Ren stretched his legs
and winced. ‘I have no idea Voron. Let’s water the horses and move
on. I would prefer to be many leagues further from the Menedula
before we camp tonight.’

Voron glanced across
his horse’s neck. ‘This is quite out of character, well as I
thought I knew you Ren. Why did you so readily agree to flee with
me? Because that is what we’re doing isn’t it? I still haven’t
worked out why we feel so sure we have to. Are you any
wiser?’

Ren climbed into his
saddle and groaned again. ‘I do not know what is happening Voron. I
do feel something is very wrong within the Order. Some things that
Babach suggested lodged in my thoughts, unwelcome though I found
them.’

‘And what did Babach
suggest?’ Voron prompted when Ren fell silent.

‘That perhaps the
Sacred One’ he bit his lip for a moment. ‘That perhaps the Sacred
One is no longer what he should be.’

Chapter
Twenty-Six

To everyone’s concern,
Tika became feverish during that first night after they arrived at
the ruined fort. Her eyes glittered and her skin was dry and hot.
She brushed off the worries expressed, particularly by Kemti,
saying she was quite well enough to ride into Return. After hasty
consultation between Kemti, Gan and Navan she was overruled and a
Merig sent to tell Hargon that it would be another day before they
joined him.

Farn was most agitated
and refused to leave Tika to anyone else’s care. He curled himself
around her where she lay, fitfully sleeping, on a bed roll against
a wall of the fort. Three Guardsmen used the extra day to
strengthen the roof of the one intact room in the fort while Tarin
took Drak in search of larger game than hoppers to cook for their
supper.

Mena spent the time
with Kadi, listening to the midnight blue Dragon’s tales of Farn’s
brother and sisters, and of the Lady Emla’s city of Gaharn. Kija
draped herself over some fallen masonry and soaked up the sunshine,
appearing to doze. Navan drew rough plans of Return for Gan to
study prior to their actual entry into the town.

Near midday, Gan and
Navan climbed the tumbled slabs of stone to reach Kija. One eye
flickered open, then closed again.

‘Do you know what could
be wrong with Tika?’ Gan asked, sitting in front of the Dragon.
Navan perched beside him in silence.

‘It is a different
thing from what I would call a fever,’ she eventually
replied.

Gan waited but Kija
said no more.

‘How “different”?’ he
asked in exasperation.

This time Kija opened
both eyes, the honey coloured prisms reflecting the sun. She
blinked slowly, turning her head away from the light to stare at
Gan and Navan.

‘Something is changing
in the net of power that encloses her mind.’ Kija sounded annoyed.
‘I knew Kadi was up to something with the child Mena. I think that
when Kadi removed the shield that had been set around Mena’s mind,
there was some sort of overflow.’ She rattled her wings irritably.
‘Something touched Tika and has caused a change of
sorts.’

Gan looked worried.
‘But what exactly did Kadi do that may have affected
Tika?’

Kija snorted and Navan
noticed thin trails of smoke drift from the golden Dragon’s nose.
Gan also noticed it and looked even more worried.

‘Kija what is it? You
are clearly upset, tell me what you can.’

‘You must have noticed
Gan. I spoke severely to Kadi, as is my right as her elder. She
replied in anger and we are not in communication at present. Brin
is also sulking.’

Gan sighed. All of them
gazed across at the huge crimson Dragon sprawled, like Kija, across
sun warmed stone at the furthest end of the building. Navan
ventured a question.

‘Is this change you can
detect quite unknown to you? Will it prove harmful to the Lady
Tika?’

Kija stared at him and
for one appalling instant, Navan felt himself being turned inside
out.

‘I would like to have
met your great grandmother – a most interesting creature I
suspect.’

Navan began an
automatic denial of Mayla’s relation to himself, then stopped.
Kija’s mind sent warmth, security, wrapping round him. He nodded
slowly.

‘I loved her greatly
until I was sent to the men’s quarters when I was seven cycles,’ he
admitted. ‘But we have no contact with females once we leave the
nurseries, except for nursing if we are hurt or sick, or for - ’ he
stopped, blushing faintly.

‘You have very strange
mating rituals,’ Kija observed, disapproval clear in her
tone.

Gan cleared his throat.
‘If we could get back to the subject of Tika’s fever?’ he
suggested.

‘There is nothing more
I can tell you,’ Kija snapped. ‘It is not harming her – that I can
assure you. We will have to wait for now. The fever is merely a
minor symptom of adjustment to change. Did she not become ill in
Gaharn when Kemti and Iska, stars keep her, sought to release her
from what we now know must have been Mayla’s protective
shield?’

Gan thought. ‘Kemti
would know, but I seem to remember that she fainted and was a
little unwell for a day or two.’

Kija closed her eyes.
Gan and Navan left her to her basking and climbed down the wall.
They strolled slowly across the open area in a thoughtful
silence.

‘Captain Gan? I am
unsure of this, but I have a strong suspicion that Mena somehow
contrived her brother’s accident.’ Navan glanced quickly up at
Gan’s face then resumed his inspection of the distant
hilltops.

‘I think there is no
need for formality between us now Navan.’ Gan’s tone was neutral.
‘I confess I had similar thoughts myself. Also that Kadi either
showed her how to manipulate the boy’s konina into unseating its
rider or actually assisted her.’

Navan stopped. He
sounded relieved. ‘I feared you would laugh at the idea,’ he
admitted. ‘I have to tell you I was surprised it was the elder boy
who was killed. As far as I am aware, he had little to do with
Mena: it was the younger who tormented her, although Bannor knew of
it and did nothing to curb it.’

‘Will you tell Hargon
these thoughts Navan? How would he respond to such an
idea?’

Navan continued
walking. ‘My lord has only these three children. He was proud of
Bannor – the boy tried hard to be the son his father wanted, but I
think he would have become a much harsher lord. There was an
inflexibility to his character that is not in Lord Hargon. You must
have seen how your respectful treatment of his sister angered him?
He has been taught that females are animals, to be used as animals,
and when he saw his father change, even in the small matter of
speaking kindly to Mena, he despised Hargon.’

‘If we regard Bannor’s
death as perhaps an error on Mena’s part, will she try again to
eliminate the younger boy?’

Navan sighed. ‘Bartos
will now be elevated as his father’s successor, so he will have
greater authority to hurt her. I understand nothing of this power
which has been so long forbidden throughout Sapphrea. What could
Mena do? Will she become as strong as the Grey Lord, Rhaki?’ Navan
shuddered. ‘Better she dies than that.’

They walked back to the
building and watched the Guards making what repairs they could, and
no more was mentioned of Mena or Kadi.

Next morning, Tika
declared herself completely recovered and indeed, she appeared her
usual self. Farn continued to fuss until a sharp remark delivered
privately by Kija, made him fall silent.

Nine koninas were
saddled and mounted, reluctantly by Tika and Kemti. Mena was
staying with the Dragons and Navan had already suggested that Tarin
remain with her. Mena objected strongly, supported by Kadi, and so
she was left without an armsman for her protection. Gan, and more
especially Kemti, were very aware of many undercurrents roiling
between the Dragons. Tika was too involved with dealing with Farn’s
terror at her departure. Twice she dismounted to hug him close
until finally Brin intervened.

‘Come along young one,
the sooner Tika is settled in Return, the sooner we can fly to the
great waters.’

Farn still insisted on
accompanying her to the edge of the forest and stood watching until
she was lost to his sight. Kija’s heart ached as she watched her
son trudge back to her, his head low and distress radiating from
him.

Kadi, carrying Mena,
and Brin both lifted into the air and flew in separate directions
to hunt while Kija settled with Farn in a puddle of sunlight. She
curved her body around him and crooned a hatching song over
him.

Most surprisingly,
Khosa had kept a tactful silence, in spite of being seriously
squashed when Tika embraced Farn. Now she squirmed in her carrying
sack until Tika released her. Khosa scrambled onto Tika’s
shoulders, her tail whisking briefly across the girl’s
nose.

‘I appreciated your
kindness in leaving Farn alone Khosa.’

Khosa yawned then dug
her claws deep into Tika’s jacket as the konina that carried them
did a skittering side-step. Khosa slitted her eyes at the ears
twitching in front of her and spat before answering.

‘He is still only a
baby: I have decided to try to remember that.’

Tika tried to focus on
riding this uncomfortable animal and on her imminent arrival in
Return – a place she had sworn she would never set foot in again.
She was aware that Kija had lulled Farn to sleep and received
Kija’s assurance that he would be safe during her
absence.

Kemti rode beside her,
nearly as uncomfortable as she was: his legs were far too long and
he would much preferred to have walked. Navan explained that a man
on foot was not respected – it would be assumed that he had either
lost his mount or could not afford one. The four Guards were quite
content as koninas were far more biddable animals than the bad
tempered fengars they used in Gaharn.

‘I have felt the Grey
One’s presence since we reached that building,’ Khosa remarked.
‘But it is not the same as it was in that northern
place.’

Kemti frowned. ‘I am
aware of him too – can you sense him Tika?’

‘Yes, but I agree with
Khosa. He somehow feels much more powerful. There is a changed sort
of “taste” to his mind though. Before, I thought I might be able to
reach Rhaki; that being Emla’s brother there was still something
decent to reach out to. Now I am sure there is nothing of him that
would be prepared to listen to anyone, let alone me.’

Khosa twisted on Tika’s
shoulder, her whiskered face tickling the girl’s cheek.

‘Do you know what has
happened to your mind?’ she asked innocently.

Kemti held his breath:
only Khosa’s regal imperviousness would have dared question Tika so
bluntly. He was aware of Gan and Navan slowing in front of them but
listened only for Tika’s reply.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I do
not know what has happened.’ She tapped the Kephi’s nose with her
finger. ‘I will be sure to tell you as soon as I find
out.’

They were moving from
fairly dense forest into much thinner stands of trees, beyond which
fields could be glimpsed. As Nomis and Tarin, at the back of the
line, cleared the last of the trees, Navan halted them.

‘We will join a road
which leads to the north gate of Return very shortly. I suggest we
form a proper escort and keep the Lady Tika and Lord Kemti directly
behind myself and Captain Gan.’

Sket moved his konina
in front of Tika and grinned at Navan, his manoeuvre clearly
stating that Tika was his personal responsibility. Navan turned
back to the open lands, then halted again, staring south. They all
stared in the same direction and gradually they realised that the
odd stump rising in the distance must be the Grey Lord’s
tower.

Tika felt her mind
being drawn towards that distant shape and pulled back inside
herself. During the last league to the gate of Return, she
resolutely kept her eyes and her thoughts away from the tower. Then
Hargon’s armsmen, in their dark grey uniforms, were riding out to
meet them. Saluting Navan, Gan, and finally, Kemti and Tika, the
armsmen swung round, forming an escorting ring around the visitors,
and Tika found herself back in Return.

The Asataria had been
plunged into uproar when it was discovered that the Golden Lady had
vanished from the premises. The letter that was found conspicuously
placed on a chair within the great Hall had been taken rapidly to
the Senior Ryla at Emla’s House. Ryla surveyed the three breathless
Seniors who had brought the letter with disfavour.