Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light

by E. M. Sinclair

  ‘I’m sorry Emla. But we call him the gentleman. He is the God of Death, and if you speak his name, he has a worrying habit of popping up. He is not always in the best of tempers so it is wise to be cautious.’

  Slowly, hands were removed and Emla glared indignantly at Dog, Konya and Shivan, who owned the offending hands.

  ‘I do see your point my dear, but perhaps another time an explanation would be more suitable than trying to suffocate me?’

  Konya and Shivan offered profuse apologies but Tika noted that Dog merely folded her arms and wandered round the pool.

  ‘What did he mean, Tika?’ Sket was the one who asked the question she had been considering herself. ‘Was Soran taken by Shadow, or by the Crazed One? I couldn’t work that out.’

  ‘He was used by Shadow I believe, but he was trying to tell us that Shadow is weakened, damaged, and so the Crazed One is able to use a human who has been touched by Shadow for his own purposes.’

  She began to pace between the paths. ‘Soran may have been Shadow touched long ago, but only recently perhaps has the Crazed One discovered how to trace such people. Could it be that if someone is called by Shadow, they become vulnerable – half human and half – whatever Soran and Mena became? I am also much concerned that the First Daughter’s physical form took on the same appearance. At first I thought it a threat, a danger. Now I wonder if Shadow was trying to help her, spending his own strength to support her.’

  She paused when Dromi lifted a hand. ‘I would agree with you Lady Tika. I was interested that the poor man in there, used his failing strength to emphasise the Prince of Shadow is a son of Mother Dark. I suggest that is a strong hint that Shadow resists the Crazed One.’

  Shivan nodded. ‘Those words rang in my mind,’ he agreed. ‘But the – um – gentleman said he thought Shadow was long gone from the world. You know that I’ve asked Corman about it and he knows nothing.’

  ‘Emla, is there anything in your archives on the gods of these lands? Do you remember when we heard of the Delvers, and the Snow Dragons? Kemti found references to them in an old book of children’s tales. I don’t know enough yet to attempt the Splintered Kingdom, but I’m beginning to think time is of increasing importance. The Dark Ones told me that the Crazed One needed to recover after one of his failed attacks, yet the attacks grow more frequent now, rather than less.’

  Kemti got to his feet. ‘I’ll get onto that now. I can set students to work in the Asataria while we work here in Emla’s library.’

  He headed off, Dromi accompanying him.

  Tika hadn’t noticed Khosa’s presence but now the little orange cat jumped onto the wall around the pool and crouched to observe the fat fish below.

  ‘I am glad the gijan aren’t here,’ she remarked generally.

  Navan grunted. ‘Their behaviour became – difficult, so we sent them to Mim.’

  Tika grinned. ‘How very kind of you. Did the gijan Elders turn up here?’

  ‘Only one. Very unpleasant character.’

  ‘And?’

  Navan grinned back. ‘We suggested that the Plavats might be able to help her search for the gijan.’

  But a thought had occurred to Tika at talk of the gijan. ‘Do you remember the gijan’s skin, when their wings came through?’ she asked Sket and Navan.

  Both men frowned.

  ‘The lines of patterns, like on Mena.’ Sket nodded. ‘And that Wind Sister on the ship to Wendla. You mentioned it at the time, remember?’

  Tika moved out of the shelter of the shrubs around the pool, peering into the sky and the trees further away.

  ‘Emla, do the Merigs still visit you? Carry messages?’

  Emla nodded in some puzzlement.

  ‘Can you call one now?’

  Emla’s eyes unfocused momentarily then a harsh croak sounded overhead. A dusty black feathered bird landed on the grass near Emla. It shuffled its feathers into a semblance of neatness and plodded towards the Lady. Tika was surprised at how small the crow, or Merig as they called themselves, was, compared to Hag. She sat on the grass by Emla’s feet, remembering Merigs used only mind speech.

  ‘Merig, did you by any chance meet the Raven, Hag, when she visited this place?’

  The bird cocked its head and clattered its heavy beak. ‘I remember you,’ it said, to all their minds. ‘I don’t suppose you remember me. You humans seem to think we all look the same.’

  There was a peevishness in the mind tone which made Dog snort.

  ‘I’m afraid I don’t recall meeting you, no,’ Tika admitted. ‘I apologise. But did you see the Raven?’

  The Merig stretched a wing to one side. ‘I did.’

  ‘Did you know who she was?’

  ‘Mother Anfled.’

  Tika closed her mouth after a while. ‘Why do you call her Mother Anfled?’ she asked carefully.

  The Merig’s beak clattered briefly again. ‘She is our Mother.’

  Tika nodded. ‘Your Mother,’ she repeated.

  ‘Yes, yes. Mother Anfled of Shadow. We thought she was lost.’ There was excitement in the bird’s words now. ‘For generations we have heard nothing and then – she is suddenly here!’

  ‘I understand how pleased you must be, but have you seen her in the last day or so? I am – um – a friend of hers, and would like to meet her again very soon.’

  The Merig contemplated its toes, wiggling slightly among the short stalks of grass.

  ‘She was upset. And angry. And she didn’t like the gijan being here before – we didn’t like them either. Mother told us they were wrong but we didn’t understand what she meant by that.’

  The tattered feathers were readjusted once more and the Merig looked from Tika to Lady Emla.

  ‘I’ll tell Mother you asked about her if I see her. If you have no messages, I must go. Busy just now you understand. Nest building.’

  With laborious wing beats, the Merig rose and made off towards the House.

  ‘Oh stars, I do hope Kemti keeps the windows shut,’ Emla muttered.

  She realised Tika’s friends were regarding her a little oddly.

  ‘Last year,’ she explained hastily. ‘One particularly persistent female Merig thought that my library would be an ideal nesting place. Well, obviously one can’t have that. But she spent a lot of time, sitting on various window sills, shouting at me.’

  She got to her feet. ‘I’ll have to go. I’ll rejoin you shortly, but I really can’t face nests in my library.’

  Sket chuckled watching Lady Emla race down the path. ‘I swear, Tika, dear Lady Emla is scattier than ever!’

  Tika was indignant. ‘What do you mean? It’s perfectly reasonable, not wanting nests in your library.’

  Sket held his hand up in surrender.

  ‘I remember she kept owls in a wardrobe once,’ Rhaki commented. ‘Unfortunately, it wasn’t her wardrobe, it was our mother’s. And she wasn’t appreciative.’

  Tika gave him a reluctant smile. ‘Do you have any plans for today? I’m going to the library to help Kemti.’

  ‘I’ll come if I may,’ Shivan chimed in.

  ‘And me,’ agreed Rhaki.

  ‘I’ll come if I’d be of any help, but Senior Doochay invited me - ’

  Tika smiled at Konya. ‘That’s fine. You go and find Doochay. Navan, do you still have the maps you got from Star Flower? Could you go through them with Sket? I’d like to know if there’s another large island, like Wendla.’

  She surveyed the remaining five members of her company. ‘I’m sure you know what your task is for the day?’

  ‘I didn’t make that bloody hole,’ Dog objected.

  ‘No, but you can supervise those four filling it in.’

  Tika turned to go to the House. ‘Oh. If a small unsavoury creature, called Grib, offers you a drink – of any sort, you will refuse it. Understood?’

  ‘Yes sir.’

  Daisy, dozing by the pool, gave a loud derisive snort, and Tika narrowed her eyes at the horse. Deciding not to get invol
ved, she marched off with Rhaki, Shivan and Konya. Sket and Navan watched Dog order her four men off in the other direction and then slowly made their own way back to the House. It was the first chance they’d had to talk privately and Sket told Navan of Gan’s short return from the Realm of Death.

  ‘Tika hasn’t spoken of him since we had his message, saying the half death was too hard. He chose to return to the Dark.’

  ‘Tell me of this Dark. I only heard bits and pieces when Lady Emla and Nesh went to the Dark Realm with Farn. And Farn seems well restored – much better than I would have dreamed of.’

  Sket nodded. ‘Better than I’ve seen him since his wounding in that dreadful battle. Most of the Dark Ones seem pleasant enough – young Shivan for instance. A nice lad. And their Shield Master and Armourer, Garrol, he’s a really good man. He made that ring Tika wears.’

  Catching up on gossip, they made their way through the house to the pleasant room Lady Emla had given Navan, and began going through the many maps which were Navan’s most prized possession.

  He writhed in pain , his howls echoing and re-echoing from the grooved walls. The tusks were gone, as were the claws, but now every fraction of his broken body was covered in a pelt of tangled hair. Three he’d found. Three he’d thought he could work through, and still he was thwarted. The one who had talked to him, told him only lies. Lies! The word screamed passed his torn lips. He tasted blood but didn’t know where it came from. That creature who suggested where he might strike next – where was he when he needed him?

  He believed nothing the human told him. And was it human, or was it reptile? Both forms seemed real to his senses but he couldn’t trust himself anymore. He bellowed the name anyway, again and again, but with no response. He lay panting on the stone floor, trying to calm himself, to force his body to heal sensibly again rather than in the uncaring way he’d allowed of late. Three. Did this Corman begin to understand just how much energy he needed to expend to gain a modicum of control? And why those in particular?

  He wanted the female he’d seen in one of his windows and who, ever since, was gone from every seeing he conjured. Did Corman want this Kingdom, to rule for himself? The thing sprawling on the floor laughed, a hollow, pitiful sound, if he’d but known. He opened his eyes, round eyes, sunk above flat cheek bones, and looked about his room. He thought he’d mended all the furniture, tidied up the wreckage, but there it still was. His beautiful table smashed through the centre, shards of glass sparkling among splinters of wood.

  His eyes closed. His mind probed the passages beyond this room but found nothing – no servants left living, nothing. His breathing slowed and he opened his eyes again. Shadows swarmed across the runnelled walls, raced towards him over the uneven floor. But as he stared, they retreated, withdrawing on themselves, hiding in the skirting boards. He didn’t understand these shadows, why they should sometimes be black, sometimes grey.

  He might have slept. Time meant nothing to him, had no relevance to his existence. But the sound of footsteps woke him – definitely woke him. So. It was the human who visited him this time. The door was awkward to open, but eventually it did, and the human leaned against the jamb, arms folded as he stared down at the creature on the floor.

  ‘Corman.’ His voice was a dry husk.

  The Dark Lord Cyrek smiled.

  Tika pushed yet another book aside and started to get up from the table. She groaned and clutched her back. Dromi glanced up with a smile of sympathy. Tika saw her reflection in the window opposite and realised the day was gone. Had they really been in here the entire day? She groaned again and sank back on her chair.

  ‘I’m sorry. My back will probably never recover and I can’t see straight anymore. And I’m starving.’

  She saw an empty plate on the table in front of her and frowned. ‘Did we eat today?’

  Rhaki laughed. ‘Emla’s staff have kept us regularly supplied, but I have to admit I’ve had about enough today.’

  Dromi put a feather between the pages of the book he was studying and closed it with a sigh. ‘I must confess the different scripts make it very difficult for me to read with any fluency.’

  Kemti got to his feet. ‘I’m out numbered. Let’s go and find a large meal and then you three get some sleep. I think I’ll work on a little longer though, when we’ve eaten.’

  By the time they’d gone downstairs, Tika realised her back wasn’t permanently damaged and the smell of food from the dining hall restored her spirits further. She saw all her company were present except for Konya, and she was relieved to see the guards were sober. Dog must have read her expression because she laughed.

  ‘Grib came and watched us fill in the hole,’ she began.

  ‘Us? Us?’ Onion glared at her. ‘I didn’t notice you lift a shovel the entire bloody day.’

  ‘Figure of speech.’

  Onion frowned. ‘Figure of what?’

  While he was distracted, Dog continued. ‘He offered us refreshment, but I refused, on their behalf.’

  Tika wouldn’t have believed that Dog could look quite so genuinely virtuous.

  ‘Then he decided he needed plants moved and put in different places where the hole had been.’

  Tika helped herself to a huge plateful of roasted vegetables but nodded for Dog to carry on.

  Dog smiled. ‘Turned out Grib needed plants from right over the other side of the estate. ’Course, we were happy to oblige.’

  Tika noticed that Fedran and Geffal both wore rueful smiles whereas Darrick and Onion were seriously put out.

  ‘I’ll have a look tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I’m sure you’ve made the most wonderful job of it.’

  She beamed at the disgruntled engineers until they looked a little mollified. ‘And Lady Emla will be thrilled too.’

  ‘I’ll be thrilled about what?’ Emla enquired, as she joined them at the table.

  ‘Your new flower bed, where the – um – hole was.’

  ‘Oh. Yes. I know they’ll have done a marvellous job, the dears. But I would like to ask all of you a favour.’

  Faces turned to Emla.

  ‘Could you all possibly keep doors and windows closed?’

  Tika choked and Sket pounded her back.

  ‘I have to tell you,’ Emla continued. ‘Three Merigs seem to have chosen your room to nest in. I am sorry Kemti, but what can one do? There’s an egg in one of the nests, I’m afraid.’

  Chapter Twenty

  Next day at breakfast, Kemti arrived with a broad smile on his face.

  ‘A runner is on his way from the City,’ he announced. ‘They’ve found several books so far, which mention the belief systems practised in the region when our people first came here. They are still searching for more, but the ones they’ve found should be here by mid morning.’

  Shea gasped, and Kemti looked at her with concern.

  ‘Are you well child?’

  ‘Oh yes sir. Thank you.’

  ‘I’ll go and tell Emla the good news.’

  ‘Oh sir,’ Onion called after him. ‘How is your leg, since Lady Tika fixed it?’

  Kemti opened his mouth, then closed it. ‘It seems fine. Of course, it – um – aches a little, from time to time.’

  ‘Thought it might,’ Onion nodded.

  ‘Yes, well, I’ll see you later then.’

  When the door closed behind Kemti, Shea glared across the table. ‘Why did you kick me so hard?’

  ‘Because,’ Tika replied calmly. ‘You were about to raise the unfortunate subject of crows in Kemti’s room.’

  Shea gave her a smirk. ‘Do you think he really spent the night there?’

  ‘He didn’t. I offered him my room as I was in the pavilion with all of you,’ Navan told her.

  ‘The doors to the hall are still open,’ Shea went on. ‘But those crows don’t seem to want to spend time in there with Kija and Brin watching them.’

  ‘I noticed a slight – difference of opinion earlier,’ Essa joined in. ‘Brin and a crow, I pretended
I hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘When are we laying Soran to rest?’ Sket asked when the laughter had quietened.

  ‘Emla has suggested later this afternoon,’ answered Tika. She looked at Volk. ‘Did you remember any words to say for the children?’

  He shook his head. ‘From what you’ve said of the poor man, words addressed to the – gentleman – wouldn’t apply to him.’

  ‘We’ll go back to the pavilion, until the books arrive anyway,’ Tika decided. ‘I’d like those maps explained to me again. I know, I know. But I really find it hard to make sense of the things.’

  Navan had spread out many maps on the floor in the centre of the pavilion, the ends weighted by any handy object.

  ‘This is where we are.’ He put a small pebble on one of the maps.

  Tika stared at it doubtfully. Kneeling by her feet, Navan traced a finger west and north.

  ‘There’s the town of Far.’ He pointed to a place on the map which looked identical to the rest. He crawled back to another map which he aligned below the first one.

  ‘These are the plains south of here.’

  Tika saw five circles clustered to the right of the map. ‘Is that Vagrantia?’ she asked hesitantly.

  Navan beamed at her. She joined him on the floor.

  ‘South from Vagrantia?’ he asked.

  Tika studied an expanse of greyish green which ran down into a broad band of light brown.

  ‘The Desert.’ She let her finger slide down further, to where land ran out and blue ocean curved in and out of a long coastline.

  ‘Harbour City.’ She sounded a little more confident.

  Navan nodded and dragged other maps closer. Tika was peering at dots of land scattered along the edges of Harbour City.

  ‘Where is the island Namolos settled on?’

  Navan sat on his heels. ‘We were told it was hidden somewhere to the west. So one of these I would guess.’

  Tika bent closer. ‘There are lots but then there’s a gap and just two, look. And which direction was Wendla?’

  Navan shuffled on his knees past Tika to a map showing a vast stretch of empty blue. A fringe of land showed on the furthest edge of the map and, with a flourish, Navan pulled another map to join it. Tika stared at it, scowling.