Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (54 page)

Tika had listened
closely. Who had given Shea such words of authority, and the
confidence with which to speak them? Gossamer Tewk caught Tika’s
eye. And winked. Tika returned her attention to the healer. She was
far older than Tika had first thought: a net of fine wrinkles
spread from her eyes across her cheeks. The healer nodded at
Cyrek.

‘The Imperatrix’s
General, Beslow, questioned us yesterday. He wanted to know if any
of us had mage powers beyond our healing talents. Such powers are
illegal, so of course we denied any such knowledge.’

Cyrek smiled. ‘But you
do know more.’

The healer inclined her
head in agreement. ‘We knew of the tutor, Ternik’s, powers. Most of
us felt a surge of unknown strength at the time she must have
died.’ She fell silent and Tika encouraged her.

‘And after? When her
body was brought here?’

The healer shuddered.
‘A malignancy spread throughout the Citadel, but it felt impotent,
too weak to cause bad trouble.’

‘That’s what I feel
now,’ Tika confirmed. ‘But I wonder if in fact it is far stronger,
and only hiding behind a mask of weakness. It is above here now.
What rooms are overhead?’

‘Public rooms on the
next floor, where ceremonies are held and so on. Above that are
lesser government offices. The top floor is where the Inner Council
meet, the Imperatrix’s own departments and her private
rooms.’

Tika thought. ‘Will you
hinder us if we try to reach the top floor?’ she asked.

The healer looked
between Tika and Cyrek. ‘Have my friends heard our
talk?’

Cyrek nodded. ‘They
have.’

‘If you would permit,
then I would ask them to repeat what has been said here, to our
colleagues. I would accompany you if I may. My powers are strongest
in healing obviously, but I am competent in illusion, shielding and
defence.’

‘And your feelings
towards the Imperatrix?’ Shea interrupted.

The healer met the
girl’s eyes squarely. ‘We suspected – hoped – Jemin still lived,
and would one day return to lift the yoke of tyranny from
Kelshan.’

Shea nodded in
satisfaction. Cyrek had already released the other two healers from
his spell of binding and they were hurrying away along the
corridor.

‘Your name?’ Tika
asked, walking beside the healer as they all headed in the same
direction.

‘Konya.’

‘And do you know of the
Places Between? Or of a Splintered Kingdom?’

The woman stumbled. The
face she turned to Tika had paled. ‘Places Between we know of. We
also have some knowledge of a Broken World – would that be the same
as the place you call the Splintered Kingdom?’

Tika sighed. ‘I suspect
so. That’s where this evil has come from as far as I know.’ She
gave Konya a rueful smile. ‘I have to admit that I wish I knew a
great deal more than I do.’

The Bear moved past,
his feet making not a sound on the stone floor.

‘Is he from the Dark
Realm?’ Konya murmured.

‘Yes but from the Bear
tribe, not quite the same as Lord Cyrek.’

‘And I am his mage,
Lemos.’ The rich baritone voice came from Konya’s left.

She looked up at him,
seeing the jagged scars across his throat. Her eyes narrowed.
Healer that she was, she knew such an injury would have destroyed
the voice and severely restricted the breathing. He caught her
glance.

‘I have borne this for
thirty five years. Lady Tika healed me a few days ago,’ he answered
her unspoken question.

‘Such an injury would
be beyond my ability to heal.’ Konya regarded Tika thoughtfully.
She looked barely older than Shea, who Konya knew to be near
thirteen. Slightly taller than the girl, yet her eyes were so
strange – what land could she have come from?

But they had reached
the end of the corridor. The Bear glanced back and Konya indicated
right. This corridor was narrower and less well lit. It ended at a
wooden door. Konya sorted through a tangle of keys in a pouch at
her belt, muttered in annoyance and shook her head.

‘I’ll have to go and
get the key,’ she began.

Tika moved closer to
the door, her hand outspread. She didn’t touch the wood, or the
lock, but there was a grinding click and the door swung away from
her. Sket pushed in front, his hand on his sword hilt. The Bear
came close behind. Sket cursed. He stuck his head round the side of
the door.

‘No one’s used these
stairs in a while. Cobwebs.’

Dog echoed his curse
from beside Gossamer. ‘Hate cobwebs. Hate spiders.’

Tika rolled her eyes at
Gossamer. The woman happily played about with the most appalling
exploding devices and she didn’t like spiders? The Bear leading and
Cyrek at the rear, they climbed endless stairs, spitting out bits
of cobweb and trying not to cough in the dust they raised from the
neglected floor. It was dark, but not pitch black and once their
eyes adjusted, they could see enough to keep from
stumbling.

They’d climbed five
steep flights when The Bear halted. His filed teeth glinted faintly
as he smiled. ‘I think the next stairs are the last.’

They’d passed two doors
as they climbed, presumably giving access to the higher floors, so
the next door they reached should open onto the floor they wanted.
Tika reached for Sket’s left hand and sent her mind seeking, up
through the thick stone. Yes. Whatever it was, it was close now.
She let her mind drift rather than trying to focus too closely on
the source of the evil she sensed.

It seemed diffuse,
confusing her as to its exact position. She gave Sket’s hand a
squeeze and let go. ‘I might be able to tell more once we’re up
there. On the other hand, it may know we are here.’

‘That’s so
encouraging,’ said Gossamer, and Shea giggled.

The Bear grunted, but
in reprimand or amusement it was impossible to judge. They climbed
the last flight of stairs and stood by a door.

‘Wait.’ Tika again
extended her senses, this time seeking Prince Jemin’s mind
signature. ‘Jemin is some distance away, to our left,’ she
whispered.

‘This door opens some
paces from the Imperatrix’s private rooms, I think,’ Konya
whispered in turn. ‘To the right, there will be two guards outside
her doors, and this door will be visible from where they
stand.’

Sket and Cyrek
unsheathed their swords, The Bear hefted his axe and Dog had one
hand inside her pack. Tika caused the door to unlock and open the
smallest fraction. The Bear growled in satisfaction. The door
opened so that he could see towards the Imperatrix’s rooms. He
peered through the narrow space.

‘No one there,’ he
sounded wary.

Again Tika sent her
mind questing outwards, this time seeking any life sparks. She
frowned. ‘There are eight bodies to the right,’ she told them
quietly. ‘I have no way of knowing who they are, but this area
feels free of that thing now.’

She met Cyrek’s eyes
then they both turned to Konya.

‘You will have to tell
us if one of the bodies in there is the Imperatrix I’m
afraid.’

‘I could do it,’ Shea
said.

‘Yes you could, but I
would rather you didn’t.’ Tika’s reply was sharp.

Konya squared her
shoulders. ‘I’ll go now.’

The Bear growled again.
‘Silly woman. Not on your own. We’re all coming.’

He pushed the door open
further and stepped into the corridor.

Chapter
Thirty

The Imperatrix stood at
her office window. Nothing seemed changed in her view of the City.
It was perhaps quieter than usual, but the heavy rain could well
account for that. She’d been at her desk soon after dawn and Beslow
had arrived to give her his most recent reports. Veranta was
persuaded, without much effort, that the monsters reportedly
roaming her City were from the Dark Realm. Beslow was convinced
this was so and Veranta completely agreed with his assessment. She
was waiting for him now. He’d said he would report to her again at
midday.

Veranta stared at the
leaden clouds hanging low over the whole City, rain rattling
against her windows. She felt oddly detached from all of it.
Sitting at her desk again, she read the letter she’d drafted
earlier. She had the idea during the night – to contact her
mother’s clan to see if any worthwhile children might be considered
suitable for training here at court. She thought perhaps a dozen,
boys and girls, could come here, blood lines linked to her family
of course, and she could pick a future heir from among
them.

She put the scribbled
letter aside when she heard General Beslow’s voice acknowledging
the greeting from her guards. Beslow was agitated, that was
immediately obvious. The Imperatrix waved him to a
chair.

‘Your report is of more
interest General?’ she enquired.

Beslow nodded. ‘My
lady, Kelshan guards arrived back only a short time ago. They’d
been patrolling with the militia. They encountered one of the
monstrous beasts somewhere around the Guild Precinct.’

Veranta nodded, already
bored. This was virtually the same as his earlier
report.

Beslow leaned forward.
‘The creature exploded, my lady. Completely blown
apart.’

Veranta frowned. ‘Was
that the noise I heard? I thought it was just thunder.’

‘When the thing blew
apart, six men were killed as well, and several suffered injuries.
A group of men, all in black uniforms, came down another street and
told them that the creatures do not come from the Dark
Realm.’

Veranta continued to
look slightly bored.

‘My lady, no word has
been given to guards or militia men that we believe the Dark Realm
has sent these beasts. Yet the black uniformed men spoke
knowledgeably of this matter. And three of our guards identified
the leader as General Whilk. They said several of the other men
looked familiar, but they couldn’t recall names.’

‘General Whilk.’
Veranta repeated. ‘I had my suspicions of him long ago.’ She
stalked to the window, shoulders hunched, fists clenched at her
sides.

‘No my lady, that isn’t
what I meant to imply.’ Beslow shook his head. ‘I know Whilk well.
He is not a traitor to Kelshan. I would wager my life he is
faithful to this land.’

Veranta spun to face
him. ‘Faithful to this land you say? I, Veranta, Imperatrix of
Kelshan and the Confederacies, I am this land. I do not believe
Whilk is faithful to me.’ She spat the words at the startled
General.

Beslow paused. He knew
she was correct. Whilk would do anything for the Imperium as
constructed by the Imperator Jarvos. But this woman had degraded
the ideals of the whole constitution laid down by her father and
his many advisors. Jarvos had listened to advisors, and to the
citizens of Kelshan. He had listened to the wild clans.

Veranta listened to no
one, this Beslow knew. He realised, with a jolt of alarm, that she
was absolutely correct. Whilk would give his life for Kelshan, but
he would not do so for the Imperatrix personally. These thoughts
sped through Beslow’s mind while Veranta’s hard brown eyes bored
into his. He knew he had been silent too long and hastened to
remedy his lapse.

‘If you feel Whilk is
not to be trusted, my lady, perhaps we could at least speak with
him? He may have valuable information to give us about these
abominations in our City.’

‘Huh.’ Veranta sat
behind her desk again. ‘You think he would tell us how to defeat
his allies?’

Beslow opened his
mouth, then closed it. The Imperatrix had made up her mind on the
matter: there would be no point arguing with her now. Indeed Beslow
was under no illusion that Veranta had much trust in himself. He
should have known better than to give her this information; he
should have dealt with it alone. He saw the Imperatrix’s mind had
moved on.

‘The City seems quiet
enough General,’ she said now.

Beslow let out a breath
he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

‘The people saw many of
these beasts, and most are barricaded within their homes. It is
fortunate that the rain delayed many who would usually have set up
their stalls in the markets. Some rushed out to assist the militias
– brave but unwise.’

The General got to his
feet. ‘My last information confirmed two hundred and seventeen
dead. There are many injured. I do not have the exact numbers. Most
have been taken to the nearest hospices.’

Veranta regarded the
General, her expression unreadable. ‘And your plans for the defence
of the Citadel?’

‘I have had barrels of
liquid fire placed at regular intervals all around the watch walk
my lady. It will be poured down onto the creatures as they reach
the curtain wall and set alight.’

Veranta frowned,
remembering the way Ternik’s body had exploded when liquid fire was
lit in the dissection room. Perhaps that’s what had destroyed the
monster Beslow had described. But the supply of liquid fire was
tightly controlled. It was a capital offence to possess it within
the City limits. An extremely dilute form was allowed, but that
could not cause any great damage.