Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (66 page)

Sket was on his feet,
hands outstretched. ‘Ren! It’s so good to see you!’

Ren bent to put the
cats on the floor where they sat, rather bewildered but neat and
tidy with tails curled round their front paws. Khosa appeared and
trotted over to sit in front of the two newcomers who were, in
fact, her sons. The Dragons peered in the archway when a wail began
to rise from Khosa’s throat and she crouched lower. Her sons
pressed against her, wailing in harmony. Sket looked to Ren in
alarm.

‘What’s
happened?’

Ren stepped carefully
round the small heap of cats. ‘Do you remember Bakra – the one like
Khosa? He joined his brother, Resh, in keeping Nolli company after
Senior Ryla died.’

A cry came from Kija
and she backed onto the terrace, rearing erect and beginning the
Song of Farewell.

‘Nolli died a few days
ago,’ Ren told Sket sadly. ‘But Khosa had sent a message through
the gateway asking that Bakra come here. She said you and Tika plan
to go to Drogoya.’ He shrugged. ‘I felt I must come too, I must see
what has happened to my homeland. Lady Emla felt that Resh should
come with Bakra, as they have become very close and Resh grieves
for Nolli.’

Khosa and her sons
retreated in the direction of the First Daughter’s bed chamber and
Sket drew Ren over to meet their new company. The Dragons’ song had
just ended when a scream of anger and rage erupted from one of
them. Sket was on his feet again, sword drawn and racing for the
stairs.

‘That’s Farn,’ he
shouted back to the others. ‘Tika’s hurt. Hurry!’

Feet pounded after
Sket, along corridors and down the stairs as the four Dragons
lifted from the terrace to follow Farn to the ground. Leaping the
last steps to the lowest hall, Sket saw the Palace-Keeper hurrying
towards him, a young maid in tow.

‘Sir!’ Jenniah called.
‘Oh sir! This girl saw the Lady Tika taken off to visit Lord
Pule.’

Sket listened, scarcely
able to contain his impatience to find Tika.

‘His apprentice, Grent,
told her Lord Pule was too ill to leave his rooms, but I saw him
earlier – he was perfectly well then.’

The names meant nothing
to Sket. ‘Where? Where are the rooms?’

Sergeant Essa pushed
forward next to Sket. ‘This way,’ she said tersely and began to
run.

Dark guards rushed into
the hall led by Shield Master Garrol. Dog explained what was
happening as they joined the rush behind Sket and Essa. They wound
through a labyrinth of passages until Essa pulled up sharply. Ahead
in the corridor, an elderly man sat half propped against the
wall.

‘Lord Pule?’ Essa asked
cautiously.

They drew closer, saw
his chest and abdomen were blood soaked, but his head moved
fractionally, eyes struggling to open. Pink tears streaked his
cheeks and stained his grey beard. His hand twitched towards the
further corridor.

‘Grent.’ His words were
just audible. ‘Mother Dark forgive me and protect that
child.’

Blood gushed from his
mouth and life fled from his eyes.

‘Where?’ Sket roared,
glaring up at Sergeant Essa.

Farn screamed again
from somewhere close outside and Sket paused long enough to drag
open one half of a double door in the outer wall. Farn’s body
pushed the other half to slam against the wall and Tika’s new
companions, along with the Shield Master had their first glimpse of
a Dragon in a towering rage. Farn’s prismed eyes flashed and
sparked, smoke curled from his flared nostrils. Storm was close
behind him, equally enraged. Farn rushed after Sket only to find
the way barred by another heavy double door.

Sket glanced back and
grabbed Essa’s arm, heaving the huge woman aside as Farn blasted
fire at the door. Wood shattered, metal bolts, studs and latches
fell melting to the floor and the stone around the door blackened
and cracked.

‘My word, that’s very
effective,’ said a mild voice from somewhere in the smoky room
beyond.

Sket looked at the
short plump person of Simert in horror.

‘You haven’t - ?’ he
stammered.

Simert regarded him for
a moment then he chuckled. ‘Oh no. But she called me you see, so I
came. She didn’t really need me.’ He waved a hand to clear smoke
from around his face and coughed.

Sket pushed past and
dropped to his knees. Tika lay unconscious but as far as he could
tell in a hasty inspection, unhurt. Beside her lay a young man,
Tika’s sword standing upright in his chest and an expression of
terror on his dead face. Sket pulled Tika towards the threshold
where Farn waited and watched anxiously. They were both intent on
her when Kazbeck leapt past them, his sword hissing from its
sheath. Simert looked surprised and turned back to Grent’s corpse
as well.

A formless darkness
oozed from the body, occasional glimpses of a misshapen leg, a
clawed hand, a ghastly head appearing within the
blackness.

‘Oh no you don’t.’
Simert snapped his fingers and the blackness
disappeared.

Essa and Sket both
regarded the Kelshan God of Death thoughtfully but after a brief
smile in their direction, he vanished. Shield Master Garrol walked
forward and withdrew the sword from Grent’s body, examining the
blade closely. He bent over Tika.

‘Is she
hurt?’

‘No.’ Sket sounded
relieved. ‘A bruise on her jaw. Looks like he just hit her to knock
her out but it obviously wasn’t enough. I reckon she must have
woken, killed him, before he realised. There’s a scrape on her
forehead where she might have fallen and knocked herself out
again.’

‘I will take her back
to the roof.’ Farn’s voice rang in everyone’s heads and they heard
the lingering undertones of his anger.

‘Come on then.’ Sket
lifted Tika and carried her down the corridor to the double doors
which led into a garden. He looked over his shoulder with a grin.
‘I’ll go with Farn. You can take those bloody stairs.’

The Dark healer Harith
provided a truly foul tasting drink which Tika drank under protest
but had to admit it took the pain from her head and jaw very
quickly. She looked pale, the bruises stark on her skin. She was
glad to see Ren and he sat by her where she lay beside Farn in the
great chamber, and listened to all his news and the loving messages
from her friends in Gaharn.

Much later, when only
Sket and Dog lay watchful, Shield Master Garrol came quietly in. He
sat on the floor under Farn’s watchful eye.

‘I have weapons for
your squad,’ he murmured to Tika. ‘My gift to you.’

She understood at once
that he meant blood metal weapons.

‘What have you done
with those men?’ she whispered.

Garrol studied her
white face. ‘Lord Pule and Grent have been consumed by cold fire.
Lord Pule was of Dark blood, but one who never made either his
first transformation or the descent into the Dark. But he served
this Realm with great honour for many years.’

‘It was the Crazed One
again.’ Tika’s words were flat.

Garrol nodded. ‘We’re
fairly sure of it.’

‘I will leave for
Drogoya in the next couple of days.’

Again Garrol nodded. He
leaned forward and gently lifted Tika’s left hand. He took
something from his shirt pocket, something that glinted in the low
lamplight when he slid it over her thumb. She held her hand higher
in surprise. A broad band, the central band dark, blood metal she
knew without asking, held between two bands of silver. It fitted
perfectly and she looked into Garrol’s blue eyes in
wonderment.

‘You made it,’ she
said. ‘For me.’

Garrol’s large
calloused hand closed round hers. ‘You would be a daughter to be
proud of, had I children.’

Tika caught her breath.
Again. That odd connection.

‘Family?’ She barely
whispered the word.

Garrol’s face was
transformed by a huge smile and his hand tightened
briefly.

‘Family,’ he whispered
back.

He climbed to his feet
and touched his brow, lips and heart, sweeping his hand towards
her. Then he retreated.

Tika sat leaning
against Farn’s chest, stroking her ring while Farn lowered his head
to inspect it himself. Sket and Dog watched, through half closed
eyes, saying nothing but both understanding something important had
happened for Tika.

Many Dark Ones gathered
the next evening, some Tika hadn’t seen before, to hear what had
been decided. The First Daughter’s brother, Peshan, stood on the
dais from which Chindar had vanished only days earlier.

‘Lady Tika has chosen
to travel north, to the lands of Drogoya. Her companion, Lord Ren
has been instructed in the making of Dark gateways. My son Shivan
will also be among the party so between them they should be able to
effect an escape should that prove needful at any time. It is
believed that the Splintered Kingdom has become more closely
aligned to that region despite the incursions in Kelshan, and here,
of late. Coby was studying that possibility when she was murdered
and unfortunately, many of her notes were destroyed at that
time.’

Peshan glanced at
Corman before he continued. ‘We believe, Corman as Palace Master
and most ancient and loyal of the First Daughter’s advisors and
friends, and I, as Lerran’s brother, that information must be more
widely disseminated among not only Dark Ones but the other peoples
who share this Realm of ours. I’m sure you have all heard gossip,
rumours, whatever, of Namolos, who came across the star fields long
ago?’

Peshan waited until
most heads nodded in agreement.

‘Lady Tika goes partly
to seek him out. She believes he has been trapped by a fragment of
the Splintered Kingdom. But Corman and I want you to speak out
about these things, not whispering, but openly. Too many secrets
have grown in this beloved Realm and so secrecy must
cease.’

Tika noticed Lord Cyrek
sitting behind several women and knew he disagreed with Peshan’s
words. As if sensing her gaze, his gold eyes met hers for a moment
before he turned back to Peshan. How strong his disagreement might
be, she couldn’t judge: she hoped he might learn more tolerance
perhaps, but Lord Cyrek seemed one of the most arrogant of the Dark
Ones she’d met.

Peshan now looked
directly across the chamber to Tika. His smile was warm and
genuine.

‘On behalf of the First
Daughter, I beg Mother Dark’s blessing and protection on Lady
Tika’s journey.’

His left thumb touched
his brow, lips, heart, and his open palm then swept out towards
her. There was a murmur of agreement throughout the chamber and
Tika noted most of the people also smiled at her. Sket dug a finger
in her ribs, hinting that she should respond to such a speech.
Reluctantly, she got to her feet but Garrol caught her eye from the
back of the crowd. He gave the smallest nod, and a wink. She
straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. She turned to look
over the men and women who had chosen to join her. They wore their
new uniforms, a silver Dragon in flight embroidered on the left
shoulder of each dark blue shirt.

‘I can only thank you
Lord Peshan for your kindness towards me. You know my debt to the
First Daughter still stands. I will do my utmost to redeem
it.’

She put her right hand
to her left shoulder in salute and realised all eyes had been drawn
to her pendant. She wore it for the first time this evening, and
outside her shirt rather than resting against the still tender skin
between her breasts. A breeze riffled though the room and Tika bit
back an urge to giggle, seeing the apprehension on the faces before
her. Ferag appeared on the dais beside Peshan, who stood
firm.

‘It really is too bad
darlings. You know full well I am entitled to attend any gatherings
concerning the state of this Realm.’ She pouted and managed to look
devastatingly beautiful. ‘And you, naughty child, have twice
summoned that old fool Simert.’

Ferag drifted across
the room to Tika, but Tika noticed Ferag’s hair lay unmoving on her
shoulders and the delicate lace of her dress clung close to her
body. Ferag was not angry. At the moment. Tika cleared her
throat.

‘It was for a small
matter Lady Ferag,’ she replied steadily. ‘Unworthy of your
concern.’

Ferag beamed at her,
then swung to stare round at the Dark Ones. ‘An outsider, and a
child! She understands how busy I am!’ The Mistress of Death glided
through the chamber, pausing now and then to study a face more
closely, ignoring the flinches. She returned to Peshan.

‘I see I will be
greeting several of you in the near future. Very near future.’ She
let her gaze roam slowly over the crowd. ‘But at least I’ll
recognise you properly now dear things.’

Tika coughed and sat
down. Sket looked at her suspiciously.

‘You’re laughing,’ he
accused her, but in a whisper.

Tika could only shake
her head.

There was a delay in
their departure the next day. It was already mid morning by the
time Tika, all her companions, including Khosa and the four
Dragons, gathered on the roof terrace under a sky filling with
thick grey clouds. It had been agreed that Shivan would open a
Dragon gateway as Cyrek had done to bring the Dragons here from
Gaharn. When Farn realised that Tika would be travelling through a
different gateway, opened by Ren, he became more agitated than he’d
been since the First Daughter drew him back from the
Dark.