Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (23 page)

‘I sense nothing.’ Kija
mind spoke the Sergeant. ‘I think they play games with
you.’

‘I’m going to get
them.’ Essa sounded grimly determined.

Kija rose, gliding
directly to the huge square. She formed a mental shield between the
bodies and the Menedula, flying slowly back and forth along the
line of that shield. She felt nothing from the building, other than
a sort of low level tingle which she would expect if she was
scanning a hillside where rabbits, worms and snails might be the
only living things. She watched the tall solid figure of Sergeant
Essa stride out towards the bodies, her three remaining guards at
her heels.

Essa crouched beside
Corim, seeing at once that his head was connected to his body by
only a few strands of skin and muscle. She could see no injuries on
Kazbeck and rightly assumed he must have been taken from behind.
She could see it would be difficult to move Corim. She straightened
and looked up at the golden Dragon drifting at the height of the
Menedula. Storm had joined Kija and he flew a little higher, but
even so, Essa could see the anger in his eyes.

Of the four Dragons,
she’d learned that young Storm remained warier of humans than the
others, and was also the quickest to rage. But she remembered too
that Storm had loved to tease the guards whenever they attempted to
catch fish, and had been growing more confident with some of them.
Now, she mind spoke both Dragons.

‘I will examine Kazbeck
to see how he died, then I think they should go in flame. Corim, -
Corim would be difficult to move from this place, unless we make a
stretcher or something.’

Regardless of their
proximity to possible danger from anyone or anything in the
Menedula, Storm landed close to Essa. He studied Corim’s corpse and
his lips peeled back revealing dagger sharp fangs as he snarled.
Essa bent again and found Onion beside her. With gentle hands they
rolled Kazbeck from his back to his side, Darrick and Fedran
keeping the corpse steady.

It was Onion who pulled
free a piece of Kazbeck’s shredded shirt and carefully wiped away
some of the congealed blood. Kazbeck’s spine was exposed, neatly
snapped, the two ends a handspan apart. Storm’s long face pushed
between Essa and Onion.

‘Teeth.’ His mind voice
was full of barely held anger and – something else.

As Essa recognised it
as grief, she lifted a hand to Storm’s cheek and for a heartbeat,
his large eye stared into her face. Then he pulled away and emitted
an ear-splitting scream. He reared erect, his wings spread for
balance, and began to sing the death song of the Dragon Kindred.
Essa and Onion carefully settled Kazbeck on his back again. After a
brief hesitation, Essa unbuckled the sword belts of both men.
Kazbeck’s sword was jammed awkwardly in its sheath, not as he would
have placed it. She guessed it had been returned to him, after he’d
died.

The long knives on the
opposite sides to the swords, she removed, and carefully wrapped
the guards’ hands round the grips, laying them against their
chests. The Sergeant ran three fingers of her left hand gently down
each man’s face, murmuring something too low for the others to make
out any words. Holding the sword belts, she stood, just as Kija
landed to rear erect opposite Storm.

Essa took several paces
back, the three guards standing to attention beside her. The Dragon
song faded and silence fell. Kija and Storm, still upright, opened
their jaws and Dragon fire stabbed into the bodies on the black
slabs of the square. The guards watched unflinching, until nothing
was left of Corim and Kazbeck. Not even a single flake of
ash.

Chapter
Thirteen

Kija and Storm brought
them back to the cabin. The rest of Tika’s company were gathered
outside, beside Brin and Farn. Essa slid from Kija’s back first,
and marched stiffly to stand, towering over Tika. She held out a
long bundle, wrapped in a blanket, as tenderly as if she was
offering Tika a baby. Essa opened her mouth but no words would
come. She coughed and tried again.

‘I owe you two lives,
Lady Tika,’ was all she managed.

‘No Essa.’ Tika
carefully took the bundle from Essa’s outstretched hands, holding
it against her chest. ‘They knew their orders. They made their own
choice.’

Essa closed her eyes
briefly then braced her shoulders and looked round the group until
she spotted Kazmat. She moved towards him, and Konya called from
inside the cabin that there was stew still hot on the embers of the
fire. People moved and began to talk quietly. Tika turned to go
inside holding what she knew where two swords, and found the
engineer Onion beside her.

‘Sergeant Essa’s taking
it hard, Lady,’ he muttered. ‘I seen her like this once before,
when we worked with her squad in the mines. Nine miners died and
that’s where old Rose started to go funny in his head.’

Tika listened, not
knowing who Rose was or what mines Onion spoke of.

‘She said it were her
fault, see? Well, everyone knew it weren’t, but she got very quiet
about it all. This time, she did tell us, soon as we got there. “No
one tries to get in that place.” That’s what she said.’

Tika put the swords
down next to her bed roll and looked up at Onion.

‘I do understand,’ she
said quietly. ‘I attach no blame at all to Sergeant Essa. But she
has to work this out for herself. But let the others know, Onion,
that I grieve for the loss of Corim and Kazbeck, but it was no
one’s fault except their own that they entered the
Menedula.’

Onion nodded, looking
relieved, and went back outside, clearly intent on making sure all
the guards knew the Lady’s views. Tika knelt on her blankets and
began to unwrap the swords, wondering what she was supposed to do
with them. Someone knelt beside her and she knew without looking
that Rhaki had joined her.

‘Essa will be all
right,’ he said. ‘She may take a day or two, but she’ll be fine.
Send her out hunting with Volk – he’s just got back. A nice roast
supper would be much appreciated.’

Tika smiled. ‘I might
suggest that. Can you use a sword?’

Rhaki’s brows rose at
the change of subject. He thought for a moment. ‘I think so, but
not for a long time.’

Tika’s smile widened
and she laid one of the sword belts on his knees.

‘Sket will just love to
put you through the drills with the others.’

Leaving Rhaki staring
down at the weapon in some apprehension, Tika went in pursuit of
Dromi. She found him perched on the boulder he seemed to favour,
watching and listening but keeping quiet. She stood in front of
him, hands on hips.

‘Can you use a sword,
Dromi?’

He considered the
question. ‘I was trained in the use of several weapons, Lady Tika.
The sword was one of them.’

‘Yet you carry no
weapons.’

Dromi’s mouth dropped
open then snapped shut. ‘It is forbidden to bear weapons here. We
are allowed farming tools, axes, knives for butchering, but never
weapons. Hunters have to go before a Kooshak or higher to be given
permission to carry bows.’

Tika was surprised. Ren
had never mentioned that in his accounts of Drogoya.

‘Well, there is a sword
for you now.’

Interest sparked in
Dromi’s strangely changeable eyes. ‘I will gladly work with Captain
Sket to renew my skills.’

Tika stared at him.
‘Captain Sket?’ she asked faintly.

Dromi’s head tilted to
one side, an odd habit he had which brought back memories to Tika
of the gijan.

‘That is what the
guards call him. Is it wrong?’

‘No. No, it isn’t
wrong.’

Dromi stood up; he was
barely taller than Tika.

‘I have said something
that offends you Lady.’

He rested his long
fingers on her arm and she moved a little further from the cabin,
drawing Dromi with her. And so Dromi learned more of this woman
he’d been sent to watch and to serve. He learned of her childhood,
of her adoption by Kija, of her building of a family of her own. He
was astonished and humbled to find that he was now considered to be
a part of that family.

The grey sky was
darkening by the time Tika and Dromi rejoined the company. Tika
fetched the sword and handed it to the Old Blood.

‘Sket will tell you of
the properties of this blade, Dromi. The metal is forged by the
Master Armourer of the Dark Realm.’

Dromi accepted the
sword across his palms. He met Tika’s eyes and bowed deeply over
the sword.

Volk had returned too
late for a hunting trip but Geffal and Shea had snared several
rabbits which were baked over the fire. Volk quickly heard what had
happened in Syet and he eased any awkwardness among them that
evening by telling stories of his hunting trips and then of his
time as a tavern keeper. Tika noted Essa was far quieter than
usual, but at least she ate her share of supper.

The ground shook again
soon after the company had settled for the night. There was no
taint in the air this time, but the earth rose and fell violently
for what felt like an age. Volk was concerned for the horses and
went out to them with Geffal. When they returned Volk looked across
to Dromi with a scowl.

‘I have never known the
ground to tremble like this here. I’ve been in Middle Trengle
enough when it’s happened, but it often does there.’

Dromi shrugged. ‘I have
no idea why it should occur here, or why now.’

Shivan sat very still,
as if listening.

‘There is something,
coming from the Menedula.’

Bodies rolled out of
blankets and swords were buckled on. Volk went outside again
without a word. Tika wasn’t surprised when Kija remarked mildly
that Volk had taken his bear shape and hurried
southwards.

‘What do you think it
might be?’ Tika demanded of Shivan.

He climbed to his feet,
still seeming to listen. Then his eyes blazed and he drew his
sword.

‘The things that
appeared in Kelshan.’

‘Oh stars forfend,’
Sket groaned. ‘We were inside the bloody Citadel and they were
outside. What good’s this hut going to be as
protection?’

‘We can lift all of
you,’ Brin interrupted.

‘You can’t lift the
horses,’ Shea retorted, pushing Khosa into her travelling sack and
looping the strap around her neck.

The panic Tika had felt
welling within her, vanished in a helpless snort of laughter – she
could feel Brin’s perplexity at Shea’s remark.

Essa and Sket shot back
inside, but before they could speak, Tika heard the sound of
crashing timber. The Dragons had lifted into the dark sky, no moon
and no stars tonight, and were out of the company’s sight. Dragon
fire lanced down and several pine trees exploded and flared like
torches. In the sudden illumination, those gathered in front of the
cabin saw a bear running at unbelievable speed straight for them.
Even as they watched, the bear shivered back into the man Volk. As
he came closer they saw blood on his chest and arms.

‘They are close behind
me. Many of them,’ he gasped.

Konya tugged him inside
the cabin and slapped him, quite hard, when he resisted.

‘Don’t try to be so
heroic,’ she snapped. ‘Let me see how badly you’re hurt, bandage
you, and then you can go back out to play again.’

Rhaki met Tika’s eye
and they both grinned. Tika briefly wondered just how sane most of
her company now was then swung to face the blazing trees. Shapes
were visible now, hulking in the darkness. Then Kija appeared, fire
gushing from her mouth as she swooped low. Howls and shrieks echoed
from the woods. Something stormed through the flames, itself
ablaze. It was twice Essa’s size, and unhuman. A thin rat face
protruded forward from a long skull crested with spines. It seemed
unaware that it was on fire and kept coming, until an arrow sank
into an eye. It staggered on another dozen steps before it crashed
to the ground.

Tika saw Geffal on one
knee, another arrow nocked and ready to fly. Glancing to her left,
she saw Darrick and Onion edging further to the side, both holding
small clay pots in their hands. Then she realised Dog was rather
close to her, also holding one of their explosive devices. She met
Dog’s eyes briefly and shivered at the maniacal glint
therein.

Fedran shouted from her
right and Tika’s gaze snapped back to the patch of burning forest.
Dozens of shadowy figures emerged, all of them the stuff of
nightmare: shapes that matched nothing recognisable to human eyes.
Tika knew that if these things got too close to her company the
Dragons would dare not use their fire. Even as that thought raced
through her mind, Farn landed in front of her. His faceted eyes
flashed in the light of the flames and he turned his back to Tika,
facing the oncoming creatures.

She started to move
down beside him and a wing lifted, blocking her way. His long,
scarred neck twisted and he stared down at her.

‘Farn, let me past. I
will not be overprotected by anyone, even you.’