Sket laid Tika down on grass in which was mixed some sort of pleasantly scented herb. He rose to see the company walking up to join him but his gaze was fixed on Garrol. Garrol’s face was set but his bright blue eyes held pain. The company was oddly silent; Sket had expected comments about where they found themselves, but there were none.
‘Where’d he go sir?’ Dog asked.
Garrol sighed. ‘I fear that Lord Shivan can no longer be a participating member of this company. The First Daughter Lerran,’ His voice trembled and he paused, cleared his throat and began again. ‘The First Daughter Lerran has returned to Mother Dark. She named Shivan Grandson of the Dark as her heir.’
Now the companions murmured among themselves, but Sket observed how Garrol’s gaze lingered on Tika’s sleeping form. Essa kept an eye on Onion. She had no idea if he was crazy or if he had been somehow gifted by those lights he claimed to see. And hear.
Garrol had freed Resh from his pack, and Khosa had led her son off to explore through the knee high grass. After a very short while, Resh came scampering back and clawed his way up the nearest leg, which happened to be Navan’s. Navan dropped the kettle he had just filled with water and tried to free himself from the tiny claws. Tika woke to the sound of laughter as her company, her friends, her family, watched Navan’s struggles with a very small timid cat. She sat up slowly and saw the white capped mountains in the distance opposite.
Essa was first to realise Tika had woken and she opened her mouth to alert everyone else. Then she saw the tears welling and spilling down the pale cheeks. In three strides Essa had reached her, plucked her off the ground and swung away, down the small hill, while Tika sobbed and sobbed. The others had begun to follow but both Rhaki and Onion called them to a halt.
‘It’s the beginning of the rest,’ Onion announced cheerfully. ‘Do you think we could find rabbits for supper?’
Essa reached the lower tree line, out of sight of the small rise, and sat down, her back against the smooth trunk of a tree. Once again she held Tika on her lap, patting her back gently, while more grief poured out. How much sorrow can one person bear, she wondered, resting her chin on Tika’s head. Finally the sobs slowed to hiccoughs and Tika pulled away a little.
‘Sorry. I always seem to be drowning you with my tears.’ She tried to make light of it.
Essa’s huge hand wiped the water from Tika’s cheek.
‘Lerran is dead,’ she said softly. ‘She named Shivan heir. But you know that, don’t you?’
Tears welled again but they didn’t fall. ‘I saw her. In a dream. Ferag came for her.’
Wings rustled and Hag landed by Essa’s feet. Tika lurched towards the great Raven and hugged her. Hag gave an astonished but rather pleased squawk.
‘Are you sure you aren’t hurt Hag? You seemed to lose so many feathers. And didn’t you want to stay with Darallax?’
Hag cocked her head. ‘I’ll stay with you.’ She hopped from one foot to the other. ‘I like you.’
Essa smiled as Tika laughed. ‘I like you too, although you are a bit tatty now.’
The Raven drew herself up, standing taller than Tika who was on her knees.
‘Feathers will grow again. Cyrek will not.’ Her eyes glittered. ‘A gateway opened. One of your Dragons playing around, I think.’ She gave her cackling laugh. ‘Go and see. You have your first two visitors to – what are you calling this place?’
Tika looked at Essa in confusion.
‘The First Daughter has given you this whole valley, as your own land.’
‘Really?’ Tika looked out at the wide valley, then to the left and the right. ‘It is mine? Truly?’ She turned in a slow circle. ‘Iska would have loved this place.’
‘Iska?’
‘My first teacher, in Gaharn.’
Essa nodded.
‘Go and greet your visitors,’ Hag insisted.
Tika got up and began to trot in the direction Essa pointed. She stopped and looked back.
‘If this is really my land, it shall be called Iskallia,’ she said softly, then hurried on.
Essa climbed to her feet.
‘Seola still lives, and she was the brains behind Cyrek,’ Hag told her quietly. ‘But let’s not tell Tika that just yet.’
Essa sighed. ‘Let’s not,’ she agreed.
The Raven flew overhead as Essa caught up with Tika, who was staring at the two new arrivals. Tika grinned up at Essa.
‘Look! It’s Volk, and that weird horse!’
###
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’.
Also Available by E.M. Sinclair - ‘Cold Revenge’ a Regency mystery romance.
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Perilous Shadows: Book 6 Circles of Light Page 48