Drogoya: Book 3 Circles of Light series (17 page)

Nomis shouted from the
Chamber that Fayet lay dead along with several others.

‘Keep the shield Emla,’
Thryssa murmured.

Bagri hurried to the
High Speaker, watching her intently. Emla felt Bagri’s strength
weaving into her shield and was aware not for the first time, how
much more the Vagrantians knew of magic than did the
Asatarians.

Soran’s men were
disarming the City Guards and forcing them to sit on the floor,
arms behind their backs. Nomis came from the Chamber looking
pale.

‘The bodies in there
are not fit for the Ladies to see Sir,’ he said quietly to Soran.
‘Fayet was standing on the far side of the circle when we first
went in. He waved his hand at the galleries and they caught fire.
When he collapsed, the flames disappeared. The seats are charred
but not as damaged as they should be Sir.’

Soran nodded. He had
absorbed every word Nomis spoke but his attention was on the High
Speaker and the Lady Emla.

‘Open the doors Nomis,
then organise a complete search of the building. Get Lady Emla’s
Seniors to use power to check anyone you find worthy of
suspicion.’

Unbodied, Rashpil
drifted through the hall, looking down on the animals with
distaste. He paused as he saw the brittle shimmer of a mental
shield. He discounted the tall woman, but the smaller one intrigued
him. Despite the shield, he felt the power within her. He
considered Thryssa for a moment. No, he absolutely refused to take
on a female form, but to leave her thus untouched meant he may be
leaving a serious opponent behind him. Not a good idea.

Rashpil drifted closer.
He found it suddenly disconcerting to find the woman staring
directly at his position. He was so astonished that he almost
missed the slight movement of her hand and that of the man beside
her.

He had time only to
propel himself up, through the timbers and stone, out into an early
dawn sky. His rage was terrible. What had that woman attempted to
do? She had known he was there! She had known what he was! Rashpil
soared beyond the Asataria, following the line of mountains
westwards. He needed to think: about his revenge on Cho Petak, and
how to deal with that woman and any others like her. The man beside
her had merely been following her direction, Rashpil was sure, but
she – she had known him!

He must hide himself
away and consider what bearing this might have – on himself or any
of the others of his kind, including Cho Petak. He was unaware of
any others here – most had blindly rushed one after the other, to
the place Grek, D’Lah and Cho Petak could be found. Nonetheless,
Rashpil sank himself deep within the mountain rock, where it was
most unlikely he could be tracked, and settled in for a lengthy
period of meditation.

Discipline Seniors true
to Emla, now came from their homes in the City and began working to
help the many wounded of both sides. Emla and Bagri sat with
Thryssa on the stairs. Several Seniors had already come to report a
great degree of severe disorientation in the City
Guards.

‘It is as though they
genuinely do not remember fighting against their brother Guards,’
one Senior said, squatting in front of Emla. ‘We know that can be
done, but Fayet was not powerful enough surely, even with Harak and
the others who joined him lending their support?’

Emla shook her head. ‘I
do not know. Let us just get this place cleared and the wounded
cared for. There will be time enough for talk later.’

Bagri leaned in towards
the High Speaker. ‘What was it Thryssa? I but followed your mind, I
could see nothing.’

Emla shivered. ‘I felt
a malignancy all around, not from any one direction.’

Thryssa had been
sitting, head sunk on her chest, but now she straightened. ‘It is
not to be spoken of here and now. We will talk when we are safe
within your House Emla. Suffice it to say, it is gone from here. If
someone could fetch Kwanzi and Elyssa – the circle here can be used
to take us back.’

Soran, standing nearby,
cleared his throat. ‘There are several bodies within the Chamber
Lady Thryssa, some on the circle itself. The – erm – remains are
not pleasant to see.’

Bagri squeezed
Thryssa’s hand and stood up. ‘Then let us see about clearing the
circle Captain. It will not take us long.’

Soran raised a brow,
called a pair of Guards to him and followed Bagri into the Chamber.
It was indeed only a short while before Bagri and Soran recrossed
the hall and Thryssa did not fail to note Bagri’s waxen pallor. She
said nothing, allowing him to help her up just as Kwanzi and Elyssa
came from above.

‘Soran, I will need no
personal Guard now. Keep Shan with you,’ Emla said as she followed
the Vagrantians.

Soran smiled. ‘In spite
of the irregular training she has been able to do, I can tell you
privately Lady, that Shan is officer material.’

Emla returned his
smile. ‘Then make her earn her officer’s badge Captain.’

Lashek and Jilla
awaited them at the Pavilion in Emla’s garden and, seeing their
weariness insisted they go to bed at once. Thus it was late
afternoon by the time Emla joined Ryla and Nolli in the great hall.
It was strange that they asked no questions, were in fact unusually
subdued. Then Emla remembered that they had seen all that had
occurred in the Asataria. The air mage Jilla had watched all the
events, relaying them directly to the old ladies’ minds.

Emla kissed each old
cheek before sitting on her favourite stool by the fire. Lashek
appeared carrying a large tray and was followed by two maids,
equally laden.

‘Lady Lallia’s
specialities! I suspect we will need sustenance through these
imminent discussions.’

His beaming smile was
answered with Nolli’s toothless grin. She had become as addicted to
these sweet pastries as was Lashek.

‘You will get so fat
that no one will be able to move you from your chair,’ Ryla
sniffed.

Nolli ignored her
completely, already taking one of the pastries Lashek
offered.

Elyssa came down the
stairs next and was given a muffled but warm greeting from Nolli.
She sat by the Wise One’s chair and was promptly fed morsels of
pastry. Kwanzi and Thryssa arrived together with Bagri and settled
themselves on the heaps of pillows scattered around the hearth.
Ashta’s mother the pale green Dragon Hani reclined behind the old
ones, but only Shar and Lilli were present of the five hatchlings.
It was Nolli who asked Thryssa the question that was in all their
minds.

‘What was that “thing”
that you forced from the Asataria Thryssa dear? We saw no form, no
shape, sensed nothing but a great unpleasantness.’

Thryssa was silent,
marshalling her thoughts.

‘I have to begin I
think, by telling you an old, old tale. It was old when our people
first built the great cities of Valsheba.’

Her listeners waited
expectantly. Thryssa sighed.

‘The story tells of a
wondrous place: a world of magic and amazing beasts, where all
things lived in a Balance of Harmony. As with all such tales, there
came a maggot to poison the heart of this beautiful world, and
dreadful things befell the inhabitants.’

When Thryssa paused to
sip her mug of spice tea, Jilla asked quietly: ‘What was that world
called, or had it no name?’

Thryssa smiled. ‘It was
called Nachalo, but who’s to say where it was? Now, this maggot was
spreading poison among some of Nachalo’s best minds and they were
crafty, keeping their evil plans most secret. But one of them
suddenly became afraid of all the plotting and dreadful experiments
he had got involved in. He fled in terror to the mage who ruled
Nachalo with benevolence and wisdom, and he confessed all he had
done, all he knew, and the names of those who had followed the
maggot’s path.

‘The mage gathered
those he trusted and they used their minds to capture the very
souls of the conspirators. The mage was appalled by the number of
those who had fallen for the maggot’s poisonous lies. It took all
of the strength of the mage and his trusted ones to contain the
wrongdoers. With their last effort, they constructed a great sphere
around the many souls, and the mage cast the sphere forth to hurtle
for eternity through the emptiness between the worlds. The sphere
he made was called the Void, for within was nothing, nothing except
the souls of the evil ones.’

The fire crackled in
the silence that fell when Thryssa paused again.

‘That is the story that
I recalled when I sensed the presence within the Asataria. I fear
the tale is true, and somehow the Void has been sundered and those
evil souls so long imprisoned therein, have found this world to
settle on.’

‘Who was this good mage
who ruled Nachalo?’ Elyssa queried.

Thryssa shrugged. ‘He
is not named in some versions, in others he is called
Cheok.’

‘And the maggot,’
Kwanzi asked. ‘Does the maggot have a name?’

Thryssa glanced round
the ring of faces, her gaze resting last on Emla.

‘The maggot’s name was
Petak.’

Chapter
Eleven

When Tika woke, a new
day was dawning. The instant she opened her silvered eyes, Farn’s
long beautiful face loomed over her, eyes whirring in
agitation.

‘Oh my Tika, are you
well? I could not reach your mind all this time while you
slept.’

Tika stared at him,
remembering what had happened the previous evening. She sat up and
threw her arms round his shoulders.

‘I am sorry. It was so
dreadful, I must have shielded myself against everything, even you.
I am so sorry Farn.’

She felt his relief
although she was also aware of the fine tremors running through his
body. She sat back.

‘I think we could both
do with some of Lorak’s medicines.’

Farn’s eyes whirred
faster. ‘Oh yes indeed – the restorative.’

‘Well, I think perhaps
the strengthening medicine first, then a very little of the
restorative.’

Tika ignored her soul
bond’s disappointment and searched through a pile of packs to find
her own, which held several of Lorak’s remedies. The one she
sought, Lorak had concocted to calm and soothe Farn’s recurring
bouts of terror and distress occasioned originally by his near
fatal injury. As she rummaged, she noted that one of the awnings
had been stretched across the rocks, and that Maressa and Ren both
lay asleep, or unconscious, on the other side of the shelter. Sket
ducked under the low canvas, a look of relief on his
face.

‘Good to see you’re all
right, Lady.’

‘I’m fine Sket. Where
is everyone?’

‘They’ve gone to look
at all that water. I said I would stay and keep an eye on
you.’

‘You wouldn’t have some
tea brewed would you?’ Tika grinned at the Guard, knowing he would
be making tea all day given the chance.

‘Just made some fresh.’
He looked at the small pouches Tika had dug out of her pack and
nodded his understanding. ‘There is sweet water only a few paces
along the cliff. They tell me that all that water out there has
salt in it so we can’t drink it. Did you ever hear the
like?’

Farn had to wiggle a
bit to get out under the edge of the canvas, but he was not going
to let Tika out of his reach. His long lip wrinkled as she offered
him a drink.

‘You first,’ he said
sulkily.

Tika shrugged, turning
to Sket as she raised the dish to her mouth and pretended to drink.
She turned back to Farn and he drank the liquid down with much
complaining. Sket produced a flask from his jacket.

‘Only a sip,’ Tika
warned.

The taste of Lorak’s
restorative banished the acrid taste of herbs and Farn’s good
humour returned at once.

‘Shall we look at the
sea now, my Tika?’ he asked hopefully.

Tika’s gaze fell on a
patch of darkened, greasy soil some paces beyond Sket’s fire. She
bit her lip.

‘You go if you wish. I
will wait with Sket until the others wake.’

Farn considered this
proposal then settled himself beside the makeshift
shelter.

‘I will also wait,’ he
announced.

Khosa strolled down a
sloping boulder and jumped to Farn’s back, where she paused for a
quick wash of her whiskers.

Tika sat cross-legged
by the fire, sipping Sket’s tea.

‘How did you know of
those things Khosa?’ she asked and winced.

She set down her mug
and pulled her shirt away from her chest, peering down at herself.
The skin between her breasts was red, blisters had risen in places
and the inside of her shirt was singed. Sket vanished back under
the awning, reappearing with a round pot of Lorak’s salve. Khosa
and Farn watched Tika cautiously smear some of the ointment onto
the burn before Khosa replied.

‘I could not see the
thing as you could, but I could feel it as a nasty gap in the
air.’

‘Will there be any more
of them?’ Farn asked nervously.