Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (17 page)

Kazbeck had recounted
the fight in Kelshan, when he, his brother Kazmat, and Corim, had
been injured near to death. And Tika, against whom they’d raised
swords, had healed them. Kazbeck and Rhaki were hauling water from
the lake to the kitchen at the time, and Dog had overheard their
conversation. Later, she’d told Rhaki of her smashed leg being
healed by Tika.

Rhaki had spent a whole
afternoon with Shea, exploring along the lake shore, and he’d heard
the story of her appalling childhood and her escape to the Dark
Realm. Rhaki had seen Shea as merely a half grown child, but when
she’d explained about going in to the Splintered Kingdom to locate
Tika, Sket and a cat, he had stared at her in astonishment. With no
embarrassment, Shea shrugged off her shirt to display the fine
lines which traced the horrific burns she’d received at that
time.

They would have cost
her the use of that arm, if not her life. But Tika had healed her.
Shea had also explained that Sergeant Essa, Fedran and Geffal had
asked to serve Tika. They were from the Dark Realm, like Shivan,
and had been chosen by the Shield Master from among dozens of
volunteers. The elderly healer Konya, had likewise begged to travel
with the company.

Rhaki had not had the
opportunity to speak alone with Tika since the night they’d met,
but increasingly he felt drawn tighter into this group surrounding
her. The opportunity arose the morning following Volk’s
disappearance into the woods. Farn, Brin and Storm were playing
high above the lake, the guards were occupied with the horses and
weapons drill and Rhaki, emerging from the building, saw Tika
strolling beside the water. The only drawback to approaching her
was the huge Raven strutting at her side.

Rhaki was unsure what
the bird was, but had noted the company’s caution around her, not
entirely due to the heavy battered beak, he suspected. He squared
his shoulders and walked quickly to catch up with them. Hag turned,
bouncing in front of him, wings half spread. She cackled at
him.

‘I smelled your magic
before.’

A bright eye rimmed
with gold regarded him with interest. Rhaki stopped. She smelled
his magic? He extended his senses, carefully, then pulled back with
a gasp. The bird was so full of power! Hag shrieked with laughter
and bounced more vigorously. Tika rolled her eyes. At least Hag
hadn’t taken offence at Rhaki’s mind probe. Tika had seen Hag
annoyed, but never angry, and she sincerely hoped not
to.

Rhaki cleared his
throat, his eyes never leaving the bird.

‘I – erm – was hoping
for a word, but I’ll come back when you aren’t – um – busy,’ he
began.

Hag screamed and was
suddenly airborne. ‘I have other matters to attend to. But I’ll see
you soon. My dear.’ She swooped uncomfortably low over Tika then
shot skyward.

‘Dear stars, I had no
idea,’ Rhaki stuttered, watching Hag’s rapid flight. He frowned as
the great Raven disappeared. ‘She uses those gateway things
Shivan’s been telling me about?’

Tika sighed. ‘Yes. No
one seems to know anything about her really. All the Dark Ones tell
me is that she has always existed – as long as they have. But there
must be more. Officially, she calls herself Anfled of the Dark.
Shea thinks she’s lonely.’ Tika shuddered. ‘So because I’ve tried
to be polite to her, she thinks I am her friend.’

‘My dear,’ Rhaki
nodded.

‘Exactly. The trouble
is, I think Shea is right. The Dark Ones don’t pay much attention
to her. They know she has more power than any one creature should
ever possess, yet they treat her almost with contempt.’

She looked across the
lake, then back to Rhaki. ‘Are you used to your new life
yet?’

Rhaki moved to stand
next to her. ‘I am surprised,’ he admitted. ‘I know you’ll think
this is ridiculous, but I feel this body really is mine, that I’ve
had it forever. I feel content. I like your companions immensely,
and I am honoured that they seem to have accepted me so generously.
My name was known to several of them yet they did not seek to kill
me at once.’ He gave her a wistful smile. ‘I cannot judge myself.
The memories - ’

Tika waved him to
silence. She gave him a lopsided grin and slid her arm through
his.

‘It is very strange,’
she said, drawing him on along the bank. ‘This time last year, all
I could think of was how I could kill you. Yet now I feel I’ve
known you all my life, and you are an old and valued
friend.’

Rhaki squeezed her arm
against his side, unable to speak.

By the time they’d
gathered in the hall that evening after supper, Volk was still
absent. Hesla arrived and reported to Tika. Her earlier antagonism
had changed to a certain nervousness, added to obvious exhaustion.
Hesla told them that no more people had arrived at the Menedula and
there was now an uncanny stillness about the place. Various Old
Bloods had scouted the surrounding area, to distances of many
leagues, and had found no living souls. When she’d finished her
report Hesla stood up, clearly ready to return to Syet. Tika caught
the young woman’s hand and was worried at how cold it
was.

‘Stay the night,’ she
insisted. ‘If you have seen no more people coming to the Menedula,
I doubt any will now. Rest until the morning.’

She sent a thread of
compulsion towards Hesla and felt the icy hand in hers relax
slightly. Beela came forward, putting an arm round Hesla’s
shoulders and leading her away. Tika noticed that Beela shot an odd
glance at her over Hesla’s head. Hesla had been unaware of Tika’s
touch of compulsion, but could Beela have sensed something? She saw
Shivan’s frown and wondered, but at that moment, Onion shot into
the hall from the corridor.

‘Come quick Lady, the
old man’s taken ill.’

Sket was just ahead of
her as they hurried along to Babach’s room. They found Konya and
Shea trying to hold him down on the bed, but despite his frailness
he was able to knock them aside. Essa pushed through and caught
Babach’s shoulders, leaning against his body to flatten him. Tika
bent over the old man and took an involuntary step back.

His faded blue eyes
blazed and there were red flashes in their depths. His mouth
twisted in a snarl and his body arched up again, actually causing
Essa to readjust her hold of him. Spittle frothed at the corners of
his mouth but his eyes were fixed only on Tika.

‘You will die.’ It was
a guttural rasp, not Babach’s mild voice. ‘You will never defeat me
and mine.’

‘And who are yours?’
Tika rapped out the question.

For a moment, Babach’s
expression showed confusion, then the hatred returned and a fist
shot up into the side of Essa’s face. The Sergeant grunted, briefly
released one of Babach’s shoulders and jabbed her own enormous fist
into his jaw. Babach’s body slumped and Essa eased herself up,
rubbing her knuckles thoughtfully.

‘Have you killed him?’
Shea asked, wide eyed.

‘Nah. Just put him to
sleep for a while.’

‘What happened? How did
this start?’

Konya rubbed her
forehead. ‘Shea was in here. I was next door with Dromi. I heard
Shea call out and came to see what might be wrong. He was as you
saw.’

‘Shea?’

Shea frowned. ‘We were
talking. He was telling me about trying to train Ren in dream
walking. Then he grabbed my arm and I though he was having a fit or
something. His body kept lifting off the bed and then I saw that
his eyes looked all wrong, so I yelled.’

‘But you’re not
hurt?’

Shea pushed her sleeve
up and Tika saw finger marks still deeply indented and starting to
bruise. It was hard to believe an old man like Babach would have
the strength to inflict those sorts of marks. Before she could ask
more, Rhaki spoke to Konya.

‘Have you herbs which
relax a patient’s body completely but leaves his mind
alert?’

Konya thought for a
moment then nodded. Tika looked questioningly at Rhaki.

‘I don’t know that
ropes would hold him down. You saw Essa had to use quite a bit of
strength. Some herbs could make his limbs useless.’ Rhaki shrugged.
‘Just a thought.’

Tika looked at Babach,
now apparently peacefully asleep. She didn’t like the thought of
seeing him tied to the bed but that, surely, could be the only
alternative to Rhaki’s suggestion. She nodded at Konya and the
healer hurried off to prepare her medicines.

‘I want three guards in
here now,’ said Sket. ‘Fedran, Darrick, Corim. You take first
watch. And I want weapons drawn.’

Tika made her way back
to the hall, deep in thought. Shivan sat opposite her at one of the
several tables.

‘It was when he spoke
of Ren,’ he said.

Tika sighed. ‘I
noticed. But if this information, or whatever, was planted in
Babach’s brain years and years ago, how could Ren’s name trigger
that reaction? Ren is an infant compared to Babach’s great
age.’

Shivan began to chew
the side of his thumb and jumped guiltily when Tika leaned across
and slapped his hand.

‘Sorry. We agreed the
Crazed One was able to make plans, once upon a time. Could this be
the unravelling end of such a plan?’

‘No.’ Rhaki had joined
them.

‘Why do you sound so
sure?’ Shivan asked.

Rhaki shrugged. ‘I
can’t explain, but I suspect Ren may be able to trace Babach’s
mind. From what I understand, they knew each other a long time.
Time enough for Ren to arrange his tricks.’

‘I heard Mena say she
wanted Babach back with them. Could she have ordered Ren to find
him by tracing his mind signature?’

Rhaki nodded. Tika
leaned back in her chair.

‘I still don’t believe
Mena has much power, if any, of her own.’

‘So someone else is
organising things through her,’ Shivan grinned. ‘Obvious
really.’

Chapter
Ten

‘Did you see through my
mind when I was in the Menedula?’ Tika asked Shivan.

‘Only the child and
Finn Rah. Farn was getting anxious and we had to pull you out.
Why?’

‘Remember that sort of
landing place, one floor below where the Weights of Balance were
hidden?’

‘Overlooking a massive
hall?’

Tika nodded.
‘Look.’

She sent a picture of
the hall to both Rhaki and Shivan and let them see the rows of
bodies arranged so neatly across the floor. She was taken aback
when both men hissed in surprise. She looked from one face to the
other.

‘Well? What do you make
of that?’

Rhaki rubbed his chin
which was now beard free. ‘Those shadows are not
normal.’

Shivan agreed. ‘I’ve
never seen anything like that.’

‘I had a chat with
Corman about your history Shivan. Do you recall anything you were
taught?’

‘Mother Dark created us
and created the Dark Realm.’

‘And?’

Shivan looked helpless.
‘History wasn’t my best subject Tika.’

Tika glared at him. ‘I
was told that some of Mother Dark’s children wanted to be in the
Light.’

Shivan nodded. ‘I
remember that, now you mention it.’

Tika’s glare did not
lessen. ‘There was something about shadow but not much as I
recall.’

Shivan scratched his
head. ‘I think there was something, about the Children of Dark – us
obviously. The Children of Light, who are most of the other people
in this world. And there were Children of Shadow, of which I
remember absolutely nothing.’

‘I don’t think Corman
said much about them actually, but he did speak of
shadow.’

‘And shadow,’ said
Rhaki, ‘would be a very good place to hide.’

‘I wonder. But where is
the Shadow Realm – if there is such a place? I’ve never heard of
anyone following shadow as they follow light.’

‘On the edge. Between
Dark and Light, there is Shadow.’

Tika and Shivan stared
at Rhaki.

‘That’s all very well,’
Tika replied eventually. ‘The only edge I can think of is the
Barrier Mountains. Otherwise dark and light are
everywhere.’

‘I’m getting muddled,’
Shivan complained.

Tika snorted. ‘I
imagine we all are. I’m wondering though if perhaps I should ask –
that man who looks after the dead.’

Shivan’s eyes widened
in alarm. ‘I don’t think we should do that – not yet
anyway.’

Tika narrowed her eyes.
‘You don’t like him. I thought he seemed a rather nice
man.’

‘I don’t like the fact
that he seems so friendly with a certain Lady.’

Tika looked at him in
disbelief and then started to grin.

‘You mean Ferag? But
she’s -’

Shivan’s hand clamped
across Tika’s mouth. Two daggers pricked his throat and Shivan saw,
from the corner of his eye, Dog and Kazmat standing beside him.
Very carefully he removed his hand and Tika spluttered with
laughter. Dog and Kazmat sheathed their weapons and wandered off,
leaving Tika now hooting with glee, tears standing in her eyes.
Rhaki leaned forward.