Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (27 page)

‘She is stronger than
you could imagine.’ Alya jumped to her feet and paced restlessly to
the window and back. ‘Poor child is rather shocked of course, but
the strength she has Thryssa!’

‘Yes, but strength to
do what Alya?’

‘Well,’ Alya sat down
again, leaning her elbows on the table. ‘She says she has always
called it ‘daydreaming’ and never thought seriously about it. She
stares at a candle flame or into the fire and she sees things.
Sometimes, she says, she ‘goes to other places’. Usually places she
doesn’t recognise.’

‘So she is a fire
adept?’ Thryssa asked sharply. ‘The last of those was generations
ago Alya.’

Alya pulled her lower
lip between her thumb and forefinger. ‘I think she may be, but we
have only just begun to test her. She uses fire in whatever form as
the focus to enter a trance we believe.’

‘She does it only with
fire, not with standing water?’

‘We haven’t tried water
yet. But she can do it with a crystal – we tried today.’ Alya
looked slightly guilty. ‘We are so excited, I fear we may have
overtired her.’

‘What exactly do you
mean by that?’ Thryssa fixed Alya with a piercing stare.

‘She set fire to the
table and burst into tears.’ Alya mumbled.

‘For stars sake!’
Thryssa slapped her hand on the pile of folders. ‘Kwanzi,’ she
called.

As Kwanzi appeared,
Thryssa continued to glare at Alya. ‘Would you please find Elyssa
for me? Be kind with her and bring her to our rooms. Feed her if
she is hungry or make her comfortable and let her rest.’ Kwanzi
turned to go. ‘Alya and her Assessors have been bullying the poor
child by the sound of it Kwanzi, so do be nice. And send a message
to her family that she is safe and well and staying here this
night.’

Thryssa kept her gaze
on Alya as Kwanzi closed the door quietly behind him.

‘You will go
immediately and tell every Assessor, every Scribe, everyone working
with these poor people who are innocently and willingly trusting
you to do your testing kindly, to do exactly that. Short periods of
tests, do you hear me Alya? Short periods. No matter if one should
come forward as talented as poor Elyssa seems to be, you will go
slowly. Stars Alya, you are my Councillor and yet you are carried
away on the wings of your own excitement, as you admitted, and you
put these people through non-stop trials. Go now, and warn everyone
that they will hear from me, personally, and very soon.’

Thryssa strode to the
window, her back to Alya. Alya had risen to her feet as Thryssa’s
anger flared at her. White-faced, she murmured: ‘I beg your
forgiveness, High Speaker.’

Thryssa spun around,
her hands clenched at her sides and her hazel eyes blazing. Even
her red hair seemed aflame with her fury.

‘Do you still not
understand Alya? It is not MY forgiveness you should be begging –
it is Elyssa and others like her. For stars sake Councillor, begone
from my sight now!’

Alya stumbled to the
door and got herself out of Thryssa’s presence. Never had she seen
the High Speaker’s temper loosed before, and to see it now, turned
on herself, shook her very bones.

Thryssa groaned,
turning back to the window. She pressed her forehead to the cold
glass. She would apologise to Alya for the tone she had used, but
not for the words. Had this whole dilemma so unsettled them all?
Was Gremara’s madness leeching from Talvo into the other
Circles?Thryssa looked out, over the thickly clustered roofs of the
town itself, further to the glittering tumble of water gushing down
the eastern wall, and out to the farm lands stretching right across
the great crater to the sheer black rock directly opposite the
Corvida. Behind that section of curving rock lay Talvo Circle – and
Gremara.

But the sun was
half-lost below the crater’s rim and Thryssa pushed her anger
aside, breathed deeply for a few moments and opened her mind.
Kallema’s mind was already waiting for her and her cool thoughts
assuaged Thryssa’s temper considerably. Kallema asked at once what
had so distressed Thryssa. The High Speaker explained and then felt
Kallema’s puzzlement.

‘Elyssa is the child
under Alya’s tuition,’ she asked. ‘I spoke with her I believe –
brown hair, blue eyes?’

Thryssa formed a
picture of Elyssa in her own mind and Kallema confirmed that she
had indeed spoken with the girl.

‘I would be surprised
if she is truly a fire adept – water and fire do not bear
friendship, yet I felt no antipathy to her or from her.’

Thryssa felt Kallema’s
mind eddying with concentration.

‘In fact, I felt that
she perhaps had some affinity with us. I must speak of this to my
council. Maybe I will send Prilla back to Parima.’

Before Thryssa could
respond, Lashek’s mind voice greeted them and the subject of Elyssa
was dropped. Nothing new had been uncovered it seemed, although
Lashek felt some headway was being made in the decipherment of one
ancient text.

When the mind link was
severed, Thryssa sighed, turning back into the room. The pile of
reports sat stolidly on her worktable. She regarded them with
distaste, shook her head and went past them to her private
chambers.

Kwanzi sat in his
favourite armchair and smiled as Thryssa sank into hers.

‘Is Elyssa all
right?’

Kwanzi pulled a face.
‘She was nearly hysterical. I thought you went a little far with
Alya until I saw the state the child was in -.’ He spread his
hands. ‘We all know that drawing power depletes a corresponding
amount of the user’s own physical strength, yet Alya and three
Scribes and two Assessors have forced Elyssa through test after
test this whole day. She is exhausted and she is frightened. I
gathered, between the sobs, that no one had bothered to tell her
what the various tests were for, or what was the significance of
any results.’

‘Where is she
now?’

‘I used power to calm
her somewhat and she sleeps now in our guest room. I would advise
leaving her there – missing a meal will not harm her - sleep will
help her more than food right now.’

Thryssa sighed. ‘I’ve
been trying to remember when we abandoned testing as a matter of
course for all middle students – it was long ago I think. Why was
it stopped though Kwanzi?’

He shrugged. ‘I did not
even know that all students were once assessed for talent. I truly
thought it has always been as now – if a person suspects that they,
or a dependent child is gifted in a talent, they take themselves
off to an Assessor,’

‘So very many we may
have missed through the cycles Kwanzi. And how many of those missed
ones could have proved invaluable?’

‘Speculation has never
been one of your many faults before, my heart,’ Kwanzi teased
gently. ‘But Elyssa – what will you do with her
tomorrow?’

‘Sort out some of my
clothes for her first.’ She grinned at Kwanzi’s expression, then
quickly sobered. ‘And very cautiously, I will see how she truly
feels at the discovery of her talent. Stars Kwanzi, it takes
seasons for apprentices to learn the basic controls – how much have
Alya and her fools pushed this one’s mind already in but one
day?’

‘There was trauma
throughout – I checked of course as I calmed her, but I think no
permanent damage. I know I have no need to tell you to tread very
carefully with her. I would suggest,’ he added, ‘if Elyssa is
agreeable, that she stays here for a while.’

Thryssa looked at him
doubtfully. ‘And let her think that we are confining her
now?’

‘No, no. Tell her she
may stay here to study with you or me, and to use our private
stairs if she desires to return to her family, or go out into the
town.’

Thryssa nodded slowly.
Then she remembered what Kallema had said during the mind link and
now repeated the water mage’s words to Kwanzi.

‘She said she would
send Prilla back here, so it is clear that Kallema thinks there is
something important happening.’

Kwanzi pursed his lips
and scowled. Thryssa smiled at these indications of profound
thought in her dear husband. Finally he nodded.

‘We will suggest that
Prilla also stays here as our personal guest. I think it might be
wise to invite Imshish too – he is in the Visitor’s quarters still,
isn’t he? I cannot explain why, but I feel it may be helpful to
have an earth mage close by Elyssa at the moment.’

‘What about someone
from Kadera then, my dear? Will not the air adepts be somewhat put
out if they think themselves excluded?’

Kwanzi scowled for a
while longer. ‘If you think it is best, and I think perhaps you are
right, then by all means request young Jilla’s presence here. I
feel – again, I cannot explain why – that air is not so important
as water and earth in Elyssa’s situation.’

Thryssa stifled a yawn.
‘Of course, having Elyssa, Prilla, Imshish and maybe Jilla to stay
here with us would have nothing to do with your passion for
entertaining and fussing, would it?’

As Kwanzi looked
indignant, Thryssa smiled at him. ‘I am sorry I could bear you no
children my love. You should have spent your life with someone
else, who would have given you a brood to fuss over and
cherish.’

‘Never could I care for
anyone as I do for you. Don’t say such things to me.’ Kwanzi lifted
Thryssa from her chair, cradling her close as he carried her to
their bedchamber.

In the guest chamber,
Elyssa lay sprawled on her face fast asleep. And she dreamed of a
deep darkness, lit by flickering red flames and lancing silver
threads.

Chapter
Nineteen

Kemti studied the
dagger Navan had passed to him and weighed it in his long hand.
‘This is all that survived you say? What about any other metal the
men may have had on them?’

Navan shook his head.
He tapped his own belt clasp, his badge of rank at his
shoulder.

‘The armsmen wore
these. They may have had a few coins in their pockets, they usually
do, but there was no trace of any such things in the ashes. Only
these blades.’

Officer Nomis left
Tika’s side to draw closer to Kemti. He unsheathed his own belt
knife and handed it to the Senior. Kemti held one on each palm for
several silent minutes.

‘This one,’ he raised
Navan’s dagger, ‘is only slightly the heavier but I sense the alloy
is much different from this one.’

Navan nodded. ‘We use
more of the black ore than any of the other Lords’ companies Sir.
We have found it keeps an edge better and is less
brittle.’

‘And obviously,
whatever Rhaki used in the destruction of your men, it had no
effect on these weapons because of the higher percentage of that
same black metal content.’

‘To go back to the
caves you spoke of Lord Hargon,’ Tika intervened. ‘Exactly where
are they?’ She frowned. ‘I remember hearing stories of a magic cave
I think.’

‘Tales told by old
females,’ Hargon said dismissively. He noted Tika’s frown deepen,
glanced at Farn’s glittering eyes and continued in a more polite
tone: ‘We do not know for sure that these caves exist at all. It
could have been that Rhaki took exception to armsmen being too near
his building, or he guessed they had been set to watch him.’ He
shrugged. ‘I have my doubts as to the existence of caves there.
There is a low ridge, but caves?’

‘Has anyone bothered to
ask the eldest females, those who tell children stories? Bessa, or
Mayla perhaps?’ Tika’s tone was neutral but her eyes were
frosty.

Navan had resumed his
seat at Hargon’s side and he answered quickly: ‘Mayla died. Soon
after you – er – left. I did ask Bessa and she believes her tales
are true and that caves do lie hidden there. There is no way of
checking without Lord Rhaki’s awareness of what we would be
about.’

Kija shifted her weight
more comfortably as she said: ‘The Merig said Rhaki is hidden
within his tower these past days. He said he could find no
awareness of his presence though.’

Hargon stared at the
golden Dragon. ‘Do you mean the Merig can use the power to seek
someone’s mind Lady Kija?’

He sounded suspicious
again and Kija sighed audibly.

‘Please, call me Kija
and I will call you Hargon. But as to your question – I think in my
mind and your mind receives my words. Yes?’

Hargon nodded
cautiously.

‘Try it the other way
around,’ she invited. ‘Think a message to me and let me hear
you.’

Hargon bit his lip,
then stared hard at Kija.

She jerked her body
half upright. ‘Quieter, quieter! You two legged ones always shout
so at first.’ Kija slowly relaxed to the ground again.

Hargon looked
surprised, then an unwilling smile glimmered across his
face.

‘You see, none of the
others heard you speak to my mind, or my reply to yours. But tell
us Hargon, what did you sense as you came to my mind?’

‘A sort of covering, a
net, and a feeling of largeness, warmth?’ He waved a hand
helplessly, clearly floundering to describe what he
meant.