Soul Bonds Book 1 Circles of Light series

by E. M. Sinclair

  ‘I will prove worthy of your belief Wise One.’

  ‘I do not know what a Guardian must do,’ Mim ventured. ‘Surely I do not stay here all the time watching the Weights of Balance?’

  Nolli grinned at him. ‘Certainly not! You and Dessi will change the character of this place, dispel its evil shadows. Dessi will bring the arts of growing food here – as you see we have done in the Domain. Lorak will be a valuable help to you in that.’

  ‘Splendid creature,’ came rumbling from Fenj.

  Nolli continued: ‘I fear there will be other work – concerning books and such.’

  Mim looked increasingly alarmed. Nolli grew serious.

  ‘There is the necessity to search the far Wilderness, but that cannot be undertaken immediately, much as I might wish it. Did the pendant you wear, harm you when Bark took the Balance Weight Mim?’ she asked suddenly.

  ‘I felt a slight heat, but the scales on my chest protected me.’ He looked across at Tika.

  She nodded, unbuttoning the top of her shirt. An angry red oval-shaped mark was burnt into the skin between her breasts.

  ‘I thought it was the pain of Bark’s death, but I realise it happened at the moment he moved the Weight,’ she said, rebuttoning her shirt.

  ‘They quicken,’ Nolli muttered to herself, then said louder: ‘When Farn is recovered you will go south, child.’

  ‘I too,’ Kija’s voice was firm.

  ‘And I,’ Brin added.

  Nolli smiled. ‘Yes, and Lord Gan and Sket no doubt.’

  ‘And I,’ a regal voice announced from Khosa, sprawled languidly on Farn’s back.

  ‘And what must we do?’ Emla asked.

  ‘Return to Gaharn and rouse your People. Too long have they spent looking inward and dreaming dreams. They live in this world, let them look to it as they should have done Cycles past.’

  ‘I said as much, if you recall,’ Kemti murmured in Emla’s ear.

  Gan stood up, stretching his long legs.

  ‘We will leave two full bands of Guards here, to help with the work of getting this place straight. The rest will escort the Lady back to Gaharn.’

  Unnoticed, Motass stood at the back of the crowd in the dim hallway.

  ‘Sir? Can I stay here? My brother Jal will heal but it will be a long mending. And my place is with Lord Mim also.’

  Gan nodded his consent.

  ‘Thank you Sir.’

  Much later, when all were settled for sleep, Tika crept to Nolli’s side.

  ‘Must I go south Nolli?’

  ‘Yes child. It is for you to defeat Rhaki, and you know the region where he is likely to be.’

  Tika hugged her knees then winced as she rubbed the burn on her chest.

  ‘Lorak’s salve will help that,’ Nolli said. ‘Gan spoke with Motass’s brother Jal. He said Rhaki has been to the town of Return on several occasions. Would you have seen him there?’

  Tika frowned, then her eyes widened.

  ‘I think – many Cycles past – soon after my mother died. I was one of the Lord’s pets. I remember a very tall man watching us one day. Could that have been him?’

  ‘It may well be child. Now. You have been gone from Return for a while and much has happened. You have met others – those who speak to you respectfully and listen with true interest. Can you look back at the Lord of Return and judge more fairly what kind of man he is?’

  At first, all Tika could think of was the anger and fear that had spurred her to run away, but she forced herself to calm down and try to remember what she could of Lord Hargon. After a long pause, she said slowly:

  ‘He is not an evil man I think. He acts as he has been bred to. He was considered fair in dealing with disputes and he defended the people of his town against the Gangers. But,’ she finished stonily, ‘he kept slaves, and he treated women and children scarcely better than his slaves. He did not consider them as human as himself. And I will never agree that such slavery is necessary or right.’

  In the light of early morning, new snow had blown in the open gateway, but no snow was falling outside now. Fenj, Brin, Ashta and Ulla brought meat back for the other Dragons, and Kija urged Farn to eat as much as he could. He turned his head carefully, his neck still most tender, and found Khosa crouched on his back. She crooned at him pleasantly and his eyes flashed sapphire bright.

  Tika laughed at him affectionately. ‘No longer does a Kephi queen worry you then my Farn!’ She stroked his beautiful face. ‘It was decided last night while you slept, that we must travel far south again, even beyond the Ancient Mountains. I have agreed. Is that all right?’

  ‘Of course!’ His eyes whirred with anticipation. ‘When shall we go?’

  A team of labourers had cleared an area not far from the hidden caves. It had not been too hard a job – the ground was solid rock covered with a dusty soil and scrubby bushes. Rhaki had paced out a circular area and marked it clearly. Hargon instructed Mallit to show Rhaki where the quarry was located. Cutting stone was a time-consuming and laborious task and thus Hargon’s stone built manor underlined his strength and importance.

  Rhaki rode into the shallow gorge which Mallit had indicated was where Return’s stone was obtained. Dismounting, Rhaki strolled along the rock face, studying the lines and layers of stone. Yes, he thought, it would take several days to cut the amount he needed although he was not entirely sure how much the effort would cost him.

  That evening in the dining hall, Rhaki told Hargon and Navan that he would begin to cut stone the next day.

  Hargon nodded. ‘Using power, Sir Lord?’

  ‘How else my dear Hargon? I would still be occupying your guest chambers two Cycles from now if we let your men hack out all the stones I need!’

  Rhaki’s mood since he arrived in Return had been consistently jovial and now he laughed at the wary expressions on Hargon and Navan’s faces.

  ‘I will go alone tomorrow and begin cutting the blocks. I would be grateful for the use of your carts to move them the league or so to the site I have chosen, once I have cut sufficient stone.’

  ‘Certainly,’ Hargon agreed easily.

  ‘Will you need artisans for the actual building work Sir Lord?’ asked Navan.

  ‘No, no.’ Rhaki poured himself more spice tea. ‘I shall deal with that myself.’

  ‘Furnishings,’ said Hargon. ‘Traff will assist you there. Bed, tables, that sort of thing – at least unless you wish to commission the work from the Carpenters’ Guild?’

  ‘I will need very little I think. Once the building is done, I will find a couple of servants.’ He frowned into his goblet of tea. ‘I am rather particular about those who serve me.’

  Navan and Hargon exchanged a quick glance.

  ‘Perhaps slaves – those born slaves and trained in obedience from birth – would suit your needs best Sir Lord?’ Hargon offered.

  ‘Perhaps. I will think on it.’

  As he tried to relax in the too-short bed, Rhaki knew he would be exhausted until the stone cutting was complete. He stared up into the darkness of his chamber. He would go to the cave tomorrow and use the scrying bowl. He needed to know if any of the Gaharnian scum knew in which direction he had gone. Rhaki could not imagine Emla ordering those pretty Guards of hers too far from Gaharn but he would like to be sure. It would take them weeks rather than days to get here, but if they were on their way, he would prefer to be within his building and strong in power once more.

  His mind strayed to the books he had hidden in the cave. One of them he had discovered by chance. How long it had sat unnoticed among his many volumes he didn’t know. He had taken it from the shelf in error and sat at his table. Realising his mistake, he had been about to replace it in annoyance when something about it caught his attention.

  Rhaki felt the stirrings of the sense of excitement he had felt when he’d first studied it. Lying in the guest chamber of Hargon’s manor, he shivered as he remembered his disbelief slowly turning to wonder as he had turned page after p
age. It must surely have been one of his predecessor’s books, but Rhaki wasted no time wondering where Kovas might have obtained it. Enough that it was now in his own hands.

  Mallit was unhappy next morning, that the Lord Rhaki should ride out unescorted. But Rhaki was adamant he would go alone. Mallit had a brief glimpse of the inflexible will under the, at present, pleasant exterior, and he froze. Bowing low, he made no further comment as Rhaki mounted the konina. Silently Mallit took the saddlebag containing food from his own mount and tied it to Rhaki’s saddle. He bowed again as Rhaki crossed the yard to the inner gate, then, as he rode from view, Mallit hurried to the arms men’s practice yard.

  Navan came straight to him and listened closely to what the man had to say. He nodded, slapped Mallit’s shoulder lightly and sent him off. Reporting to Hargon, Navan said: ‘You know Mallit Sir. His courage cannot be doubted yet he saw something in Lord Rhaki that had him pale as milk.’

  ‘I have been trying to remember all I’ve ever heard of the People and their accursed power. I want to know if using the power weakens them, and if so, how much. You’ve seen him do tricks here before, setting things aflame across a room, making things disappear, and it bothers him not at all. But he says he is going to cut stone blocks – that surely needs a lot of this power.’

  ‘Perhaps that’s why he insists he is alone? To conceal any weakness from us?’

  ‘Hmm. Send three of the best scouts to spy on the quarry.’

  ‘Three Sir?’

  ‘Yes, three. They will spread well apart, so if he sees one, at least one of the others will perhaps go unnoticed. I don’t believe he will think any would dare spy on him though.’

  ‘At once Sir.’

  Navan left the Lord’s workroom and Hargon poured himself a goblet of water. For the first time since he was a young lad facing his first fight against Gangers he felt afraid. Then, he had feared his sword arm would tire too soon, despite the endless training sessions. Or that his stomach would turn at gruesome sights.

  Now he knew he was afraid, but he did not know precisely what frightened him. Just the presence of this tall thin man, and the look in his eyes at certain moments. What havoc could this one man wreak? And how could he, Hargon, protect not only himself, but his town and his people against him? He groaned quietly and rolled the goblet across his aching forehead.

  Rhaki rode at a leisurely pace along the track from Return. He looked about him, at men and women working in some of the fields, and keeping a casual watch that he was not being followed. Not that he entertained the idea of Hargon having him watched for a moment. Likeable fellow in his simple way – but simple was the most accurate word there.

  Soon he dismounted, looping the reins around a boulder. Rhaki strolled towards the tangled mass of redberry bushes covering the slope ahead of him. A last look back towards Return and he was slipping through the bushes into the first cave. Before long, he was sitting before the wooden chest on which rested his scrying bowl.

  ‘I would see my stronghold,’ he demanded, laying his hands to the sides of the bowl.

  As the dizzying black swirl cleared, Rhaki saw the entrance to his stronghold. The blackened timbers of what was left of the great gateway edged the empty space until that space was filled with a massive crimson Dragon. Rhaki gasped. A Great Dragon? How had Emla coerced such a one to her service? He loosed hold of the bowl then replaced his hands.

  ‘Show me Emla.’

  The bowl cleared again to reveal a cave of some kind and Emla kneeling between two biers of stone. On one lay Iska and on the other, Bark. Two small dark haired females stood beyond Emla, one each side of a figure seated in a chair. Rhaki peered at this figure. Another female, of great age, but who was she? He released his concentration and the bowl darkened to its usual black opacity.

  Well, they all seemed occupied enough not to be bothering him at the moment. He would investigate more when he was safe in his stone tower, but now, that was his main concern.

  Back outside, Rhaki rode another league through the hills to the quarry. He sat on the ground, staring at the rock face. He estimated the height of the blocks he needed for the base of his tower. Finally, he took a deep breath and relaxed his body as he began to focus his mind.

  White fire flickered up the face of the rock to a height of four man lengths. Then the fire wove sideways. Several more times the white fire sliced at the rock, then Rhaki slumped where he sat. He was drenched in sweat and trembling from the effort, but he forced himself to go and see how successful he had been. The line he’d cut was smooth and straight, the stone feeling slightly warm under his hand. He moved back and sat down again.

  This time, he visualised himself deep within the rock, the white fire flaming through the darkness of the concealed stone. He shuddered as he finished and wiped his sleeve across his wet forehead. One more effort. He looked up at the sun and was not surprised to see by its position that more than half the day had passed. Once more, he focused. Eight great blocks of raw stone, smooth as if worked by master craftsmen, floated free of the rock face and settled in a line before him.

  All unaware of eyes watching him, Rhaki lay where he was and slid helplessly into exhausted sleep.

  Far across the Wilderness, towards the rising sun, silver chimes rang faintly in a room of pale marble. The chimes shivered and the woman who watched them pulled a shawl closer round her shoulders. As the chimes faded to silence, she turned towards the tall windows. Despite the cold, she stepped through onto a balcony and stared out.

  First she looked down at the city spread below, different coloured lights glittering in the frosty air. Faint cries drifted up from the festive all-night market in the centre of the city. The woman’s gaze moved on, up to the distant mountains encircling her lands. And on further, to the great velvet bowl of the winter sky, a deep blue black, studded with stars.

  Never in her lifetime had she heard the chimes of discord. Until now. She shivered suddenly and turned back into the room. The chimes hung motionless, a mere ornament. She went through the marble reception hall to a smaller, cosier room, with a fire blazing in the hearth. The woman reached for a small handbell and rang it. When a manservant appeared, she asked him in a softly musical voice, to summon her council. He went to obey as she sat by the fire.

  The chimes of discord had rung, which warned that the circles of power in the distant western lands had once again been used. After all this time. But by whom? She had studied the books in her years of training, books telling what steps must be taken to restore accord. Now the time was upon her it would seem, when those steps must be taken.

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  Now read ‘Vagrants’, the second book in the ‘Circles Of Light’ series.

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  Circles Of Light series available at smashwords.com

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  Circles Of Light series

  1 Soul Bonds

  2 Vagrants

  3 Drogoya

  4 Survivors

  5 Dark Realm

  6 Perilous Shadows

  Coming Soon - ‘Tilliat’ - 1000 years after the events in ‘Circles Of Light’.

  Connect with me online:

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  www.emsinclair.co.uk

  This book is available in print from www.emsinclair.co.uk

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Fiv
e

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six