Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (37 page)

Jakri gazed down at his
loosely clasped hands. ‘Hiramo said you are accompanied by Dragons?
How long would it take them to bring you to Bracca?’

Tika glanced at Brin.
‘Two or three days,’ he replied promptly.

‘Then could they do so?
I will visit the Emperor tomorrow and arrange an audience for you
as soon as you reach us.’

‘Have we guarantees the
Dragons are safe from attack in your land and your city?’ Tika
asked.

The man in their minds
showed no reaction to Tika’s green silvered eyes. ‘My life is
forfeit should any attempt to harm the Dragons or you,’ he said
simply.

‘We will let you know
our decision by dawn.’ Maressa broke contact and Ammi appeared with
trays of tea.

‘So much for our
plans,’ Gan remarked, smiling thanks for Ammi’s
refreshments.

Tika held a tea bowl
under her chin, letting the fragrant steam dampen her face. ‘I
think you’ll have to stay here Maressa,’ she said. ‘Clearly
Taseen’s opinions will be needed and if he doesn’t travel with us
you are best to link us to him.’ She sat back against Farn. ‘Gan
will come with me. Ren and Navan.’ She grinned at Sket. ‘Is there
any way I’d be able to stop you coming?’

Gan stretched his long
legs out carefully. ‘Will you mind staying here?’ he asked
Olam.

‘If no one objects, I’d
like to go back down to the river and help with the
repairs.’

Riff nodded vigorous
agreement while Pallin scowled. The Survivor Captain exchanged
glances with Ammi and cleared her throat. ‘Perhaps Pallin could
remain here at Green Shade?’ she suggested. ‘Several young ones
among the families here, long to learn the use of
swords.’

Olam kept his
expression straight although his eyes gleamed in the lamp
light.

‘There is no better man
than Pallin to teach weapons drill,’ he nodded solemnly.

Pallin didn’t know
whether to appear annoyed or pleased so he settled for his usual
scowl. ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he grunted.

Tika stood up and put
her empty bowl on the tray. ‘Tomorrow then, we leave for
Bracca.’

Chapter
Twenty-One

Jakri blinked, his mind
restored fully to his body once more. He got to his feet and went
out through the open screen wall onto the balcony. Dark green
leaves shone against the pale walls of the lamp lit courtyard and
great heavy headed flowers were scattered like pillows among the
foliage. The whisper of slippers on polished wood turned him back
into the room.

A woman wearing a
simple long gown of pale gold entered, carrying a tray. Jakri
hurried to take the tray from her hands, scolding
gently.

‘Since when do you play
servant to your son Oniko?’

Her face, so similar to
his and just as young, smiled. ‘Don’t pretend it is unusual for me
to bring tea to you.’

Jakri put the tray on a
low table near the balcony. Oniko waited patiently while her son
sipped his tea.

‘The Maleshan witch is
close to raising a Bound One. Oniko, I have never killed, but I
believe Kasheen is right in this – she must not be allowed one more
step along the path she is making.’

‘You would imperil your
essence, committing such an act?’

‘Oniko, you haven’t
felt this woman – this Vorna. That so few of our mages survived the
cataclysm of the last battle is a loss to be bitterly regretted
now. The few left were still in first training and the shock
damaged the longevity mechanisms within them.’ He bit his lip, rose
and stepped onto the balcony. ‘Why do I always tell you what you
know far better than I?’ He grinned ruefully.

‘It is the teacher in
you my son. But Jakri, Maleshan mages did survive – there must be
some who could stop this Vorna now were they made aware of her
intent.’

Jakri leaned back on
the railing and folded his arms. ‘So very few survived.’ He paused.
‘Taseen is in Wendla, at Green Shade.’

His mother’s beautiful
oval face flushed. She leaned forward. ‘Here? He should surely be
in Malesh, dealing with the witch woman.’

Oniko joined her son on
the balcony.

‘His powers are
minimal. In all this time he has not recovered.’ Jakri frowned. ‘He
is with a strange party. A man and woman with eyes such as I have
never seen, a woman strong at far speaking, and more I’d guess.
There are Dragons with them.’

Oniko’s flushed cheeks
paled. ‘Dragons have not been seen in Wendla for
millennia!’

Jakri smiled. ‘There
are four here now, and I asked the far speaking mage, Maressa, to
send them here.’

Oniko stared down into
the gardens. ‘I agreed with Kasheen that perhaps another trade
dispute, even a small war, might distract Vorna from her
plans.’

‘You have doubts
now?’

Oniko looked up at
Jakri, a frown marring the smooth gold skin of her brow. ‘I fear we
may have to fight much harder – against the Grand Harbour Master’s
naval and military forces, against Vorna and, spirits save us, the
Bound Ones as well.’

A chime sounded from
beyond the inner door and Oniko moved along the balcony to study
the garden as Jakri stepped inside the room.

‘Come,’ he
called.

The door was opened by
an Imperial Blossom, a warrior whose height was accentuated by the
tall purple plume of his rank attached to his black lacquered
helmet. The warrior saluted.

‘His Imperial Greatness
requests your presence Master Jakri.’

Jakri nodded and simply
followed the man from the room. He made no comment to Oniko – he’d
watched the Imperial Blossom’s eyes flick round the room but he
thought Oniko was unseen at the dark corner of the balcony. Down
the stairs, through the lower reception rooms, across the courtyard
garden and the old doorman scurried to pull open the door to the
outer world.

An escort of six
warriors waited at attention in the shadowed street. Jakri took
position in the middle of the squad, the Imperial Blossom at its
head, and they marched off past the walls of neighbouring Houses.
This was the highest level of occupation in the city of Bracca:
only elite Houses could live this close to the Emperor in his
palace above them.

The next level down was
where wealthy merchants, the most skilled artisans, and richest men
of business lived in a broad swathe of luxurious buildings circling
the hill. All too soon in Jakri’s view, trying to sort out his
thoughts as he was, they passed the last noble House and marched
across a hundred paces of open ground towards the towering blank
perimeter walls of the palace. Their small party halted at the
great bronze doors and from high above a challenge was called. The
Imperial Blossom barked back his name and a password, and one half
of the doors swung open enough to allow them entry.

Inside, four of the
escort strode off to the right while the Imperial Blossom led Jakri
and two warriors to the left. Jakri knew his way through the
labyrinthine passages perfectly well but protocol demanded he be
escorted every visit. It took as long to wind their way past guards
at every intersection, up tiers of the palace to the Emperor’s
chambers, as it had to walk from Jakri’s House to the palace’s
outer gates.

An elderly man in a
grey robe, a purple quill embroidered on the left shoulder, awaited
them at the top of a final flight of stairs. The Imperial Blossom
saluted and departed with his two warriors. Jakri nodded at the man
in the grey robe.

‘Greetings
Jalan.’

‘Greetings Master
Jakri. His Imperial Greatness awaits you.’

Jakri followed him,
marvelling as always that he and Jalan had begun first lessons
together: were in fact the same age. If he had not shown mage
talent, he would now look as grey and old as Jalan. Not for the
first time, Jakri wondered if Jalan harboured resentments over such
obvious signs of their differences in status. They arrived in front
of the round silver covered moon door, two Imperial Blossoms
barring their way. The Blossoms moved one pace to each side and
pushed the two halves of the door inward. Jalan also moved
aside.

‘The Mighty One will
see you alone.’

Jakri left his sandals
by the door, walked forward and heard the doors click shut behind
him. Eyes on the floor, he waited until a rustle of silk ahead told
him the Emperor Kasheen was in the room. Jakri bowed, his upper
body parallel to the floor.

‘Come and sit down
Jakri. We are informal here.’

Jakri straightened
warily: informal became formal without a lot of warning in
Kasheen’s presence.

‘Tell me then – what
news of the witch?’

Jakri advanced towards
the plain wooden chair where the Emperor Kasheen sat. He was the
same age as Jakri and Jalan but looked younger than poor Jalan
because his head was quite bald rather than covered in sparse grey
hair. He wore a loose sleeveless blue robe over the usual green
gown and his favourite blue and silver earrings swung from his
ears. The large gold and diamond ring of state flashed as he waved
Jakri to a lower chair to his right. Jakri drew a careful
breath.

‘Her plans advance
Imperial One. She has tried to tempt other Council Mages to work
with her but she failed to win one of the strongest. I believe, and
my colleagues concur, that she is perilously close to unbinding
one, if not two of the Children: Sekira and Valesh.’

Long, manicured fingers
tapped on the arm of Kasheen’s chair. ‘Valesh was relatively
pleasant but if Sekira is loosed – spirits save us! Is it really
possible Jakri? I find the whole idea bizarre in the extreme that
creatures of ancient myth should not only exist but be a threat to
us now.’

‘Great One, the
histories record facts, not myths, so yes, these monstrous Children
existed, were bound in darkness at enormous cost to the mages of
the time. And now they may be freed once more.’

‘Because of one stupid
meddlesome woman.’ Kasheen scowled.

‘Far from stupid
Ineffable One. Would that she was, then her dream of freeing the
Children would remain only a dream.’

‘You say a Maleshan
Councillor refused to help her. Of the seven, how many will
definitely oppose this fool?’

‘Imperial Glory,’ Jakri
chose his words with caution. ‘The edict of your grandfather, Lian
of revered memory, ordered that far seeing be severely restricted.
It is only in these last weeks that we have sought out Wendlan
minds – by your command.’

Kasheen continued to
scowl and Jakri wisely remained silent and expressionless.
Kasheen’s fingers tapped on his chair again.

‘Our fleets are ready
to begin an attack on the outer islands under Maleshan control. The
new ships can carry a large warrior force. My feeling, and that of
my advisors, is that time is limited – the witch is too close to
succeeding.’ He began to rise, indicating the audience was ended,
but Jakri slid from his chair to his knees.

‘Serenity,’ he used
that honorific in sincerest hope. ‘One of the Council Mages is here
in Wendla now. It is Taseen, he who survived the last
battle.’

Kasheen sank back onto
his chair, eyes boring into Jakri.

‘I do not know how he
reached our shores undetected. His mage powers are mostly lost, but
he is here, with at least three other mages. And none of them are
Maleshan. He is in the company also of four Dragons and rests now
at Green Shade. Mighty One, I asked that some of these people come
here, to your palace, to speak with you personally. I trust I did
as you might have wished.’

In the ensuing silence
Jakri held himself motionless.

‘Dragons you say?’
Kasheen stared across the room at the great hearth, empty now in
the warmth of early summer. Above the fireplace was a Dragon face,
viewed full on: a long, exquisitely beautiful face painted a silver
blue which shimmered in the light of many lamps. Feathered wings
flanked the face, bright scarlet tipped with gold. Jakri, following
the Emperor’s gaze, gave an involuntary gasp of
surprise.

‘But,’ he began, and
bit his lip hard.

Kasheen swung to face
Jakri. ‘But?’ he asked softly.

‘I have seen that
depiction so many times Great One.’ Jakri found himself stammering
like the youngest student. ‘The face – it is identical to one of
the Dragons I far saw at Green Shade.’

Kasheen stood up,
walking towards the hearth. ‘Tell me of this,’ he said. ‘Or better
yet, show me mind to mind.’

Jakri swallowed. It was
death to attempt mind touch with any members of the Imperial House
Crystal but Kasheen had not voiced a request. He forced himself to
relax, sitting back on his heels and breathing slowly. His mind
quested towards his Emperor and received a shock. Children of the
Imperial House were never publicly tested for mage talent although
it was widely believed to occur: many in the generations of House
Crystal had been revealed as powerful mages. It therefore followed
that the testing was carried out by House mages, and any talents
were nurtured within the House rather than through the Colleges.
Jakri had often wondered whether this was wise or not. Within the
Colleges students of all Houses mixed together, some making
lifelong friendships, others the opposite.