Dark Realm: Book 5 Circles of Light series (49 page)

Lemos shrugged.
‘Ancient tales tell of floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, land
rising and falling. Everything was in a state of violent
flux.’

‘When?’

‘Roughly four or five
thousand years ago.’

‘But does some being
rule each of your Planes, as the Crazed One apparently rules his
Splintered Kingdom?’

‘We believe that Mother
Dark rules all, but in Kelshan it is said they have some small
knowledge of some of the Planes, and they attribute a god or
goddess to be the ruler of each one.’

Tika pondered Lemos’s
words. ‘And are there gods and goddesses? What is Ferag after all?
She is titled Mistress of Death, so is that the same as being the
Goddess of Death?’

Lemos groaned. ‘Ferag
is of the Dark.’

Tika huffed in
irritation. ‘And I don’t understand the Dark either.’ She scowled
at the mage.

‘We are taught that
everything comes from the Dark. Once, everything was Dark, but
Mother Dark bore children. Her First Daughter ruled the Dark
Realm.’ Lemos saw Tika’s mouth open and anticipated her question.
‘First Daughter is the title passed down through the generations
but always in a direct female line from the real First Daughter.
The First Daughter rules the Dark Realm in this physical world.
Some of Her other children discovered Light and they argued that
Light should share all power with Dark. Mother allowed them their
freedom and to have their Light during half the daily turnings of
this world.’

Tika stretched her legs
out in the cramped space of the workroom. ‘But it wasn’t as
civilised and straightforward as that, surely?’ she said
sceptically.

‘No. Those children
broke completely with Mother, and claimed that She was everything
evil. Thus most of this world fears all things to do with the
Dark.’

‘So Light and Dark are
opposed?’

Lemos took his time
considering his reply. ‘Those of the Dark, the true Dark Ones, such
as Daylith or Favrian for example, are still blessed, or cursed,
with longevity. Whereas those who chose the Light so long ago have
a brief span of life in this world. The tribes here are long lived,
nothing like as long as the Dark Ones, but yes, far longer than
most other peoples.’

His hand strayed again
to his scarred throat, as though soothing a habitual pain which was
no longer there. ‘The connection has long been forgotten. I don’t
think those who follow Light realise they chose to do so, or
remember they were originally born of the Dark. They are so short
lived, their brief struggle is occupied with far more mundane
matters.’

‘These Planes of
Existence, as you call them, are they of the Dark?’

Lemos shifted
uncomfortably on the chair, which fitted his sister but was far too
low for him. ‘They have always been.’

Tika stared at him.
‘What sort of answer is that? Do you mean they were here before
Mother Dark started messing about with things, or did She cause
them to come into being?’

‘They have always
been,’ he repeated with a helpless gesture.

‘Right. So you don’t
know. Would one of the Dark Ones?’

‘Perhaps.’

Silence fell in the
workroom. Lemos broke it.

‘There could well be
creatures, each ruling one of the Planes of Existence. But if so,
they are benign towards us. The Crazed One is malignant in every
regard.’

‘Would Ferag
know?’

Lemos straightened in
alarm. ‘It is very unwise to summon Ferag. She is capricious at
best. You’ve met her I think.’

‘Hmm.’ Tika was unable
to repress a shiver. ‘I can’t say I enjoyed that experience, but I
do think she might know more of these things. Or Hag,’ she
added.

Lemos grabbed hold of
Tika’s arm, his eyes wide. ‘Don’t. Hag is as dangerous in her way
as the Crazed One, although, thank Mother Dark, she seems unaware
of her powers.’

Tika’s emerald eyes set
within silver studied Lemos carefully.

‘How would I go about
summoning Ferag?’ she asked calmly.

‘I don’t know,’ Lemos
replied. ‘You must ask Favrian.’

Tika got to her feet.
‘And Favrian returned to the Palace last night. Farn can take me
there.’

‘Tika, Jemin plans to
go to Kelshan tomorrow, or the day after that at the latest. It
will take you two days to travel with Farn to the Karmazen Palace,
two days back. I thought you intended to travel with
Jemin?’

Tika stopped in the
doorway. She leaned against the jamb and folded her
arms.

‘I do need to have some
questions answered, Lemos.’ She scowled at him. ‘You’ve made your
point though. Questions will have to wait until I get back from
Kelshan. If I get back.’

Lemos went quickly to
her side, bending until his eyes were level with hers.

‘You must return here,
Tika. Listen to me. If the danger is suddenly too great, to you
personally, return.’

She laughed in his
face, a bitter laugh.

‘Abandon the others,
you mean? You forget Lemos, I don’t know how to open these Dark
gateways of yours. And if I did, you think I would just leave the
rest of them – Shea, Jemin, the Kelshan officers?’

Lemos shook his head.
‘I know. It seems impossible.’

He paced around the
small table heaped with coloured wools and threads.

‘The mages among the
tribes believe the greatest danger is yet in the future. The near
future.’

He returned to stand in
front of Tika. His face was sad.

‘It is the gravest
danger which we think you are called to confront. It will not be in
Kelshan.’

Lemos’s new, deep voice
rang in the workroom and Tika knew he was speaking the truth. After
a moment she nodded.

‘I’ll find
Daylith.’

Lemos looked a little
wary and she grinned at him.

‘I want to ask him
about these gateways. I’m not going to ask him to summon
Ferag.’

Lemos smiled faintly.
‘I don’t think Daylith could do so anyway. He is a very young Dark
Lord, and has completed scarcely a quarter of his training. He has
a talent for gateways though.’

Leaving the workroom,
they walked towards the outer door. Lemos caught Tika’s arm and
held a finger against his lips as they reached the entrance to the
den. He pulled her quickly past and hurried her on
outside.

‘Emas is inclined to
haul in anyone to help with things. Help, to her, means sitting
giving orders while you dust and polish.’

Tika came to a stop,
staring at Lemos in disbelief.

‘She actually gets you
to polish?’

Lemos looked glum. ‘And
The Bear.’

Tika’s mouth dropped
open, but just then Farn charged towards her before she could
respond. Farn allowed his mind speech to be heard by the
mage.

‘You’re going to
Kelshan tomorrow. Jemin’s decided. I will be coming too of course.’
His eyes flashed and whirred in excited anticipation.

‘And me.’ Shea appeared
at Farn’s side, her expression full of determination.

‘Quite a party, all in
all.

Tika glanced to her
left and saw Cyrek strolling round the side of The Bear’s house
with Sket. Tika couldn’t read either his expression or his tone,
but he seemed relaxed, as if he was commenting on a pleasant social
trip. Tika was aware of Kija approaching with Storm, although
Kija’s mind made no contact with hers. Cyrek rested a long fingered
hand lightly on Farn’s shoulder.

‘I think there needs to
be a small discussion about that.’

His gold eyes were
tranquil, his voice calm, but Tika knew that Cyrek was not going to
permit Farn to travel to Kelshan. Part of her felt relief: Farn had
recovered better than she had dared hope from the mental torment he
had suffered. But another part of her longed for his company on
this venture. She met Sket’s steady gaze. Nothing would stop him
accompanying her, not the Dark Lord Cyrek in either the form of
this mild, rather elegant man, nor as the vast Dragon shape he
could apparently shift into as he wished.

Farn lowered his head
towards Cyrek. ‘What is there to discuss?’ he asked.

‘Several things,’ Cyrek
replied. ‘Why don’t you and Storm show me how you catch fish – I’ve
heard that you’ve caught many near the Falls.’

Storm was in the air
before Cyrek finished speaking. Cyrek stepped away from Farn and
the smell of burnt cinnamon filled the air. Farn was lifting from
the ground when Cyrek’s Dragon shape swept up beside him, dwarfing
both him and Storm.

‘Lord Cyrek will
dissuade them.’ Kija spoke in their minds. She gazed down at Tika.
‘It would be unwise for us to be seen in those Kelshan lands.
Gossamer tells me there are few if any tales of the Kindred among
her people.’

Tika reached to stroke
the beautiful long face. Kija bumped her forehead against
Tika’s.

‘You have only to
call.’ She spoke to Tika’s mind alone. ‘We will come. You know
that, child.’

Sket strolled over, his
arm across Shea’s shoulders.

‘Those three engineers
are coming,’ he said. ‘Jemin said they needn’t, but they’re
insisting.’

He watched her
reaction. Sket knew that Tika would like things to go back to how
they had been, no more fighting, no more grief. But he had observed
how people were being drawn to her now. Sket understood that the
last thing Tika wished for, was to be a leader of more than the
small group of friends who’d set out together from Sapphrea, not so
very long ago. But people were gathering around her now, and
looking to her to make decisions. A full turn of the seasons, that
was all the time that had passed since he and Motass had been
called to teach basic weapons’ skills to Tika and Mim.

She still looked
scarcely out of childhood until you looked into her eyes. Those
strangely silvered eyes held ages in their depths now. Sket glanced
down at the top of Shea’s dark head. This one was so like the Tika
he’d first met. He wasn’t a wise man, he was just an efficient
armsman. But he had pledged himself to Tika’s service, and this
child had done the same. Perhaps they were to be the founder
members of the Lady Tika’s Guards? He pushed such silly thoughts
out of his head as Kija turned back to the verandah where Emas had
emerged with a basket of sewing.

Tika slid her arm
through Sket’s and leaned her head against his shoulder
briefly.

‘Are you sure your hand
and your head are fully healed?’ she asked.

‘Course they are.’ He
held out his left hand. The skin was smooth over the knuckles
beyond which his fourth and fifth fingers had once grown. ‘Jakri
did a good job on that. And you must know my head’s all
mended.’

Tika probed with a
sense grown so much more powerful, and found the slight swelling in
Sket’s brain was completely gone. He grinned at her, knowing she’d
somehow inspected his head but feeling nothing at all.

‘So tell me about these
engineers?’ She watched Lemos heading down through the village as
she spoke. Surely he wasn’t hiding from his sister? Surely
not!

Shea walked backwards
in front of Sket and Tika as they went to the village’s northern
gate.

‘Essa told me about
it,’ she began. ‘There were four of them. Essa says all engineers
are mad. If they don’t start out mad, that’s how they end
up.’

They’d passed the
guardian stone bear and Shea clambered onto a slab of rock. She sat
cross legged and prepared to enlighten her audience.

‘Anyway, Dog – the one
whose leg you fixed – she said she’d been worried about Rose for
quite a while. He got caught in a couple of explosions when they
were clearing some mine tunnels.’ She waved vaguely to the east.
‘Dog said he’d been shaky and often he didn’t seem to hear when
people talked to him. Dog sent Onion and Darrick on along the
trail. They were going to blow up some of the mountain to block the
way back north, once all the guards were past them.’ Shea paused
for breath.

Tika and Sket leaned
against the rock, paying close attention.

‘Dog thought Rose was
with her. When she saw him scampering back this way, she chased
after him. Before she could quite catch him, he climbed over the
side of the path towards the guards.’ Shea stopped
again.

Tika nodded for her to
continue.

‘Dog says they usually
carry nine or twelve poppers, but she now believes Rose had more
than that. If you drop one, or bang it down hard – pouf!’ She threw
her arms wide. ‘Well, Dog thinks Rose just jumped. Straight on top
of the guards below him. She said Onion could only find Rose’s hat,
all the rest of him was scattered over the trail. Onion thinks
there were about twenty guards killed too.’

Tika studied the girl.
Her cheeks were flushed, her hazel eyes sparkled. She was more
animated than Tika had seen her. Tika sincerely hoped Shea wasn’t
planning to learn how to be an engineer. Sket caught her eyes and
she knew the same thought had gone through his mind. Although
neither had spoken, Shea seemed satisfied by their reaction to her
story. She pulled up one of her trouser legs.