Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light (40 page)

She was interrupted by
Kija’s mind voice.

‘Tika we are to the
east of the City, but we saw another Dragon. It was one of the Dark
Ones. It flew south. It did not see us. Shall I follow?’

Tika clenched her fists
in indecision.

‘You must keep a good
distance from it Kija, but I would know what it does.’

Before she could stop
him, Shivan was past her and outside. She shot after him even as
his shape was melting into his Dragon form.

‘Shivan! Whoever it is,
you must shield, as I’ve shown you. Don’t let him see
you!’

The huge Dragon’s head
turned to her briefly, then Shivan was rising, vanishing almost at
once into the rainy dark. Tika’s curls were already plastered to
her head when she went inside again and she cursed aloud that she
hadn’t yet thought to discover if Shivan could send her what he saw
through mind power. She dropped down against Farn and concentrated
on linking her mind to Kija.

‘Kija, Shivan has taken
Dragon shape and is already going south. I think he can identify
who it may be although my suspicions are strong that it will be
Cyrek or Seola. Stay high and safe, dear heart, and let me see what
you see.’

Immediately, vision
flooded her mind which she in turn shared with her companions. The
golden Dragon was flying fast; lights in the City and outlying
farms and villages appearing and disappearing in an eye blink. She
was also gaining height as they realised when she passed over the
House. The lights blazed in Emla’s House, but they seemed tiny from
Kija’s vantage.

Then they became aware
that Kija was slowing, beginning to turn in a long spiralling
glide. All the company tensed, seeing the oddly translucent form of
an enormous Dark Dragon drifting far below. Tika felt a ripple of
apprehension within her deepest self and sent a pulse of warning to
Kija.

‘Higher, Kija, higher,
and keep your shield tight.’

Through Kija’s eyes,
they watched the Dark Dragon. From immediately beneath it,
lightning flashed up into the sky. The Dragon moved lazily,
avoiding the lightning without effort. More flashes speared
upwards, all failing to hit their target. The Dark Dragon half
closed its wings and dropped, a great sheet of white fire pouring
from its gaping jaws. White fire and yellow fire collided, sparks
scattering through the air and over the ground.

The creature Karlesh
was briefly visible, hopping wildly among the sparks and embers.
The Dark Dragon swung round in a tight turn, jaws gaping again.
There was a blinding glare of blue white light and a voice
roared.

‘Do not touch him
Corman, foul beast of the Dark!’

When their eyes had
adjusted again after the dazzle of light, the company saw there was
neither Dragon nor creature to be seen.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Unseen by Kija, Shivan
flew only a little higher than the golden Dragon. Kija and Tika had
both shown him how to form a shield but, Shivan being Shivan, he
had tinkered with the methods. Now, using a surprisingly small
amount of power, his vast Dragon shape was invisible to anyone
searching the skies. He watched the other Dark Dragon and
recognised Cyrek immediately. He saw the strangely malformed
creature that Tika said was called Karlesh. He sensed an oddly
twisted power in Karlesh, but a strong power
nonetheless.

Shivan observed the
lightning spears hurled at Cyrek and Cyrek’s retaliation. His
Dragon eyes instantly reacted within his shielding when the blue
white light filled the sky and he saw Cyrek hurled head over tail
into another Plane of Existence. Karlesh sank into the ground:
within heartbeats there was no sign of him. Shivan heard the voice
shouting at Cyrek and he did not fail to note the name that was
called. He felt a grim amusement that Cyrek would use Corman’s
name. How easy Cyrek must have thought it would be to have the
Crazed One call Corman’s name and thus implant utter distrust of
the Palace Master in any who might hear that call.

Shivan relaxed his
shielding and felt Kija’s surprise when he popped into view. He
sent a pulse of apology in her direction and wondered, certainly
not for the first time, why he found mind speech nearly impossible
when in his Dragon body. With a minimum of effort, Shivan slid
through the air, sweeping down to land on the wet grass alongside
the pavilion. The strong smell of burnt cinnamon gusted from him as
he relinquished the Dragon form and he strode inside. Conversation
died away.

‘Did you hear the
words?’ he demanded, his yellow eyes bright.

Tika nodded. ‘That
wasn’t Corman, was it?’

‘No.’

Shivan’s confident
reply brought a sigh of relief from Tika. ‘I truly didn’t believe
it could be, but I’m glad you’re sure.’

Shivan sprawled on a
couch and laced his hands behind his head. ‘It was Cyrek.
Unmistakeably. Clearly he had told the Crazed One that he is named
Corman. At least that tells us one thing.’

He grinned at Tika’s
raised eyebrow.

‘He has not been able
to infiltrate the Dark Realm enough to recognise faces.’

‘But there was
Chindar,’ Tika objected.

Shivan sat up and
leaned forward. ‘No Tika. I think Cyrek, and perhaps Seola, are the
only ones in direct contact with the Splintered Kingdom. And
knowing Cyrek’s arrogance all too well, I think he may well
irritate the Crazed One more than flatter or soothe. It is not in
Cyrek’s nature to offer a kind word when a sarcastic one springs to
his mind more easily.’

Essa was nodding. ‘The
rare occasions Lord Cyrek honoured the guards with his presence, he
was heartily loathed for his insinuations and insults.’

‘A pain in the backside
when he came to the mines one time,’ Dog agreed.

‘I think Corman should
be told, but I really would prefer you to stay here, with us, until
we know if Karlesh has gone or is hiding out there.’

‘Shiral could
go.’

‘Do you think so?’ Tika
considered the idea. ‘No. I think Shiral is not the sort for
intrigue. If she met Cyrek after we’d told her all our suspicions,
I think he would know at once. She is not a natural
deceiver.’

‘Unlike us,’ Shea
agreed cheerfully. ‘Couldn’t you write Corman a letter and let
Shiral take it, without her knowing what’s in it?’

‘Unsafe,’ said Shivan,
and Tika nodded.

‘It will have to wait
for now.’ She turned to the door as Captain Kran
appeared.

‘Lady Emla says nothing
moves around the warded bounds she has had set. Seniors will remain
on watch through the night of course. And – um – she asks if you
could perhaps remove the – um – horse from her hall?’

Shea and Volk dashed
out of the pavilion, Shea’s giggles loud in her wake. Kran saluted
Tika.

‘I would like to offer
my sympathy for the loss of your man and the injury to the other
guard, Lady Tika.’

‘Thank you Kran. Let us
hope we lose no more. That horse. It’s really in Emla’s
hall?’

Kran coughed. ‘Yes, my
lady. And that cat, Khosa, sits on its back and spits at anyone who
comes near to try to lead the horse out.’

‘Well give Emla my
apologies. I’ll see her in the morning, if we have a peaceful
night.’

‘Stars willing, we do,’
Kran responded with fervour.

Tika met Essa’s eyes.
‘What is it with that horse?’

Essa’s purple grin
flashed briefly as she shrugged, and Tika’s gaze moved on to Dromi.
He spread his long fingered hands, implying ignorance, but there
was a gleam of amusement in his strange coloured eyes. Before Tika
could say anything, they heard hooves clopping over the gravel
outside.

Somewhat to her alarm,
Tika saw Daisy march calmly into the pavilion and move to a wall
against which she leaned a shoulder. Khosa crouched on the large
expanse of broad muscular back and Tika opened her mouth. Turquoise
eyes glared at her, and Daisy’s large brown eye blinked slowly.
Tika heard both Essa and Rhaki chuckle, and closed her mouth. She
settled back against Farn and with a determined effort cleared her
mind.

‘I am going to have a
look for Karlesh,’ she announced firmly.

At the periphery of her
mind, she was aware of Kija’s return and also a very subdued Brin
and Storm. Without acknowledging them she linked her mind to Farn
and Rhaki, who was in the House with Konya, and set herself free.
Her mind moved swiftly south. She saw fat raindrops fill the air
all around her but felt no sense of wet or of hitting
them.

It was very dark under
clouds heavy with rain and even with her enhanced vision it was
hard to see anything. Tika reached the Candle Hills and lifted her
mind higher, tightening her shield. Out here, in the dark and the
rain, she knew her pendant was growing warm against her chest, back
in the pavilion: warning enough. Carefully, cautiously, she hung
above the cratered slopes of the southern side of the Hills. Water
glinted where it was beginning to puddle in some of the holes and
pits, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Then something snagged
her attention. She slowed the movement of her mind and sank closer
to the ground. There! A patch of sodden cloth. Black. No, it was
dark blue and there was the silver Dragon insignia, half crushed.
There was little left of Darrick now, his head was mostly buried
under muddy soil. Icy cold, with anger not exhaustion, Tika sent
her mind slowly, slowly, on. She went lower until her seeking
thought made contact with the earth.

The pendant flared to
life in the pavilion and she knew Karlesh was somehow, directly
below, deep inside the earth. She rose, drifting back towards the
remains of poor Darrick. Reaching for threads of her power, she
wove them quickly into a delicate web which she let fall over
Darrick. As the threads settled like a lacy blanket over the
engineer, fire raged, fast and intense. Tika’s mind waited, and
watched, until the flames vanished, leaving no trace that a man had
lain there.

When she opened her
eyes in the pavilion, she found Essa kneeling beside her holding
the chain of Tika’s pendant so the egg swung clear of her chest.
Then she saw the Sergeant was also holding her own chain above her
shirt to keep that pendant from her own skin.

‘Yours too?’

Essa’s thick brows
formed a single line over her eyes. ‘I tried just holding it in my
hand but that burnt. Then I realised it must be yours that set this
one off. You’re a bit singed I think.’

Tika took the chain
from Essa’s fingers. The pendant was quite cold now. She glanced
round the room.

‘Where’s
Rhaki?’

‘He went into the House
to make Konya rest.’ Dog got to her feet. ‘I’ll see if he’s all
right. I presume he’s got one of those necklaces?’

Tika nodded. Sket had
dug out a pot of salve from his pack and was opening Tika’s shirt.
The pendant had burnt her many times now, in varying degrees, and
there was a permanent scarring between her breasts. He was relieved
to see that this time at least it had only just begun to blister
before Essa had snatched the pendant away. He smeared a generous
dollop of the greenish paste over the burn and put a strip of gauze
over it, rebuttoned Tika’s shirt and turned his attention to
Essa.

The Sergeant looked
horrified and shrank back, making Tika hoot with
laughter.

‘Sergeant Essa,
daughter of Bears and fearless warrior, overcome with
modesty?’

‘Sit still and unbutton
your shirt Sergeant,’ Sket snapped. ‘And that’s an
order.’

Despite Essa’s most
ferocious scowl she didn’t manage to lose her interested audience.
Sket peered closely.

‘Worse than yours,
Tika.’ He slapped salve and dressing on Essa’s chest and then
grabbed her huge hand, turning it so he could inspect her palm. His
body partly hid the hand from Tika’s view and he only groped behind
him for his pack rather than moving from that position. But Tika
crawled up beside him and took Essa’s hand in hers. Sket
swore.

‘Are you recovered
enough?’ he asked, even as tissue grew back over Essa’s
palm.

Essa stared at her
hand, then slowly raised it to remove Sket’s gauze from between her
breasts. The skin was faintly reddened, but unblistered now. Her
expression was unreadable as she looked at Tika.

‘Now you know what
these things do,’ Tika told her. ‘If you can, get it away from your
skin as soon as it gets too warm.’

‘Why don’t you do that,
then?’ Shivan asked with interest.

‘Because when I’m far
seeking, I can’t make my body do things at the same
time.’

‘Why don’t you take it
off then?’ asked Fedran.

‘Because I usually
forget,’ Tika’s reply was short. ‘Now, could we think about why
these reacted so strongly? It began when my mind actually touched
the ground beneath which I believe Karlesh is hidden.’

‘But did he hide
deliberately, or was he put there, like that Dragon was forced
away? And that voice, Lady Tika. Was it heard in this real world,
or just in your mind?’ Dromi frowned in concentration as he
spoke.