Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (21 page)

‘Those trousers are the
best I’ve seen,’ she said suddenly. ‘Did you buy them here? Where
did you get coin?’

Leaf wriggled from
Sket’s arms and hurled arms and wings round Tika.

‘Salma made them for me
– aren’t they splendid?’

The priests and Hariko
were amazed at Leaf’s next words.

‘Thank you for mending
my feet Tika. My life is yours.’

There was something in
the way Leaf said the last four words: she meant them utterly, they
were not a ritual form of gratitude.

Gan lowered the lamp
and watched Tika go to every person of their company, bestowing a
quick hug and kiss to each. She reached Sket and the armsman
whispered something which made Tika splutter with mirth. Then she
turned to Gan, peering up at his face nearly lost in the darkness
above her. She tugged at his sleeve and he bent nearly in half to
bring his head nearer hers.

‘I always thought I was
alone,’ she told him quietly. ‘Until I found Farn, Kija, the Dragon
Kindred. But when I left you in the forest, I discovered I missed
you all too.’ She rested her forehead against his chin. ‘We’re
family aren’t we Gan?’

Gan’s long fingers
brushed back the tangle of dark curls and he smiled. ‘I was
thinking the very same thing myself. We’re not family because we
have to be, but because we choose to be.’

He saw those strangely
altered eyes glinting up at him and a beaming smile. She stretched
her arms up to hug his neck and then she’d gone back to Farn. She
climbed onto his shoulders.

‘It is not safe for
Farn to land here but we will come back should you need us. We are
close by.’ She looked down at the three priests. ‘Your names will
be remembered in the histories,’ she told them gently. She met
Hariko’s gaze. ‘Zeminth longed to meet your father and you also,
but he fears this City. Why could you not have travelled to
him?’

Without waiting for a
reply, Farn lifted from the roof, immediately lost to sight in the
gathering clouds. Piper and Willow, surprisingly, enfolded the
three priests in their wings and then they too were
gone.

The first spots of rain
were falling as they made their way back indoors, Khosa leading the
way: she detested being wet even more than she detested being cold.
Salma and Zada disappeared with Leaf, leaving Taza and Hariko with
the visitors.

‘Finding a ship for you
is proving more difficult than I’d hoped,’ Hariko began as soon as
he’d sat down. ‘All ships have been ordered to await orders from
the Grand Master. He will requisition some of them for sure, not
all of course, for conversion to fighting ships or for transporting
armsmen to the Outer Islands. No large ships are allowed to leave
Harbour City until the Grand Master decides which ones he wants.’
He shrugged. ‘There was uproar of course – traders have schedules
to keep and delays cost them much coin. Traders do not appreciate
losing coin. My other piece of news is that word has reached both
the Higher Academy and the Mage Council of the arrival of two
sacred ones in the City.’

Ren looked alarmed.
‘What exactly does that imply?’

‘Both scholars and
mages will be very anxious to speak with you. You can expect
courtesy from the scholars even should you refuse to meet them but
the mages may be more – persistent.’

‘Hariko, just how
powerful are these Mage Councillors?’ Maressa asked.

Hariko took his time in
framing his reply. ‘Compared with the little I’ve seen of the
Dragon Kindred’s mind strength, and your own ability, I would
estimate most are less strong than you. That is individually.
Together I think they could overwhelm you quite easily. I do not
know if you can combine with the Kindred and the gijan and I do not
know the strength of the other sacred one.’ He inclined his head in
Ren’s direction.

Maressa made no
comment, waiting for Hariko to continue.

‘There are a handful of
mages who are very strong. Vorna for example; she is deeply
involved in the cabal I spoke of last night. Taseen is very old. He
claims he played a part in the last War of the Elders, although no
one believes that of course. He would oppose Vorna – he has always
and publicly claimed it is our duty to protect this land and its
people above all other interest. We should do this for no reward
other than the continuance of land and people. He teaches that all
life exists in harmony and should so continue – that no one person
should dictate how others live their private lives.’

Maressa nodded. ‘And
you would share the view of Vorna, or of Taseen?’

‘Taseen.’ Hariko didn’t
hesitate. ‘But he is very old, though some say that Vorna is near
to him in age.’ He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. ‘She appears
in her late middle years.’ He paused and frowned. ‘Now I think on
it, she has looked exactly the same since I was a child. How could
that be?’

‘The highest – mages I
suppose you would call them – in my land are able to extend their
lives,’ Ren told the scholar.

Gan had listened
closely and watched Hariko’s expression throughout. ‘Would we be
able to specify who we would meet then? Is it permitted that we
could visit Taseen perhaps and then two or three scholars? Would
that satisfy them?’ he asked.

‘I could ask Taseen to
dine at my house in the precincts of the Higher Academy. I don’t
think it would be wise for you to enter Xantip Palace. Taseen has
not been known to dine outside the Palace for years – whether he’d
agree is doubtful.’

‘I will invite
him.’

Hariko looked round
nervously.

‘It matters not where
you think I am Hariko, only that you listen to what I say.’ Grek’s
tone was acid. ‘All this company will attend,’ he continued. ‘I’m
sure there are one or two scholars whom you trust? When shall I
tell Taseen to call upon you – tomorrow would be best?’

They felt almost sorry
for Hariko: conversation with Grek clearly rattled his nerves
badly. He stood up.

‘I’ll make the
arrangements at once,’ he said and waited for Grek’s
response.

Khosa chewed busily
between her toes. ‘Grek’s gone to offer your invitation to Taseen.’
She closed her eyes, the better to concentrate on her
cleaning.

‘Aah. Well, I too will
go then. I will expect you at dusk tomorrow.’ He turned back at the
door. ‘Shall I send someone from my household to escort you? It
isn’t far but I know the City is confusing to visitors.’

Gan stretched out his
long legs. ‘Taza will be kind enough to show us the way I’m
sure.’

Hariko nodded. ‘I will
see you at dusk tomorrow,’ he repeated.

Leaf brushed past him
as he left.She was followed by Salma and Zada, their arms full of
material.

‘We have looked through
the chests of clothes,’ Zada explained. ‘You must all choose what
you wish. I should have thought of it before: your clothes all need
cleaning and most need some mending.’ She stared pointedly at a
tear in Pallin’s sleeve.

‘I will have another
pair of trousers finished for you tomorrow sacred one,’ Salma
murmured shyly to Leaf.

‘Truly? What colour
will they be?’ Leaf asked.

The awe with which
Salma had regarded Leaf changed to something close to mischief. ‘I
think you’ll have to wait and see sacred one.’

Leaf pouted and then
laughed. ‘And my siblings – shall they have new
trousers?’

Salma blinked and saw
she’d been trapped. She smiled wryly. ‘I will make trousers for all
of you,’ she agreed. ‘But it will take time.’

Maressa was sorting
through the heap of garments, several bright shirts already under
her arm.

‘We give clothes to any
who ask for them,’ Zada told them. She held up a finely worked
shawl. ‘Some who still follow the Way, make such things to bring as
offerings to the temple when they have no coin to
spare.’

‘It is not far to the
Higher Academy,’ Taza said, looking at Leaf’s feet. ‘But there are
always people on the street until long after dark.’

Zada rummaged in the
pile of clothes and produced two brilliant green socks, causing
groans of horror from all – except Leaf. She fingered them
admiringly and Zada smiled.

‘You like bright
colours sacred one?’

‘Oh yes. The world is
filled with bright colours after all.’

Zada stretched a foot
of one of the socks and then squatted to measure it against the
gijan’s slender foot. ‘There are some scraps of leather in my
sewing box I’m sure. I can stitch leather to the sock which will
save your feet a little.’ She stood upright again. ‘And wearing
these will conceal your feet sacred one. Beautiful though I think
them, they are very different from human feet, and people in this
City are the most curious in the world.’

Maressa impulsively
kissed Zada’s cheek. ‘You are the kindest of women Zada dear. I
hope our presence in your temple doesn’t completely exhaust
you!’

They spent most of the
next day within their rooms – rain poured down outside but the same
crowds of people seemed to hurry along the street in front of the
temple. Grek told them Taseen had seemed highly amused when Grek
announced himself.

‘He is indeed very
aged,’ Grek told them. ‘But he encourages the general belief that
he is frail and weak – about to pass from this life at any moment.’
Grek sounded amused. ‘He told me Vorna discounts him completely now
as a senile old fool. Which means of course that he is very far
from being that. Two Mage Councillors will accompany him. Tavri,
who is his constant companion and disciple. He plays the part of a
gentle simpleton to perfection.’

Now Grek sounded
admiring. ‘The other is Sheoma towards whom Vorna is showing
increasing interest. Taseen told me Sheoma has far travelled – to
Wendla. Only he and Tavri are aware of Sheoma’s powers in this
skill.’

‘And Hariko?’ Gan asked
the question in everyone’s mind.

‘Taseen says he is
trustworthy within limits, but he will not speak to us freely in
front of Hariko or the other scholars Hariko will invite to
dine.’

‘What limitations does
Taseen put on his trust in Hariko?’ asked Ren.

‘He says Hariko was the
only child of his parents and while he has a good mind and a
willing aptitude for scholarship, he has a rather grander opinion
of himself than is truthful. He does not take kindly to being made
to look a fool, or to have the gaps in his knowledge exposed. He is
a still young man, who was born to an elderly father and a mother
nearing fifty years who spoilt him.’

Khosa yawned. ‘I will
of course join you tonight. Was there more we needed to know
Grek?’

‘He was aware of my
presence – like you and Leaf can tell where I am.’

Khosa paused in the act
of tucking her tail round her front paws. ‘Was he indeed?’ she said
thoughtfully.

‘It’s stopped raining!’
Leaf called from her stool by the open window. ‘Will it soon be
time to go out?’

‘Well, we’re all
ready,’ Gan laughed. ‘As soon as Taza comes for us, we’ll
leave.’

But it was Salma who
arrived first, a roll of dark cloth in her hand. She bowed before
Leaf and handed her the roll. Leaf took it with eager anticipation.
The company laughed at the gijan’s trill of excitement as she
examined the trousers. They were sooty black, with birds and
butterflies exquisitely embroidered down the length of the outside
of each leg. She spun round, her wings shielding her, and put on
the second pair of new trousers she’d been given in two days.
Maressa moved to examine them when Leaf spun again to face the
room.

‘Salma, tell me you
haven’t spent all last night and all day today doing this?’ Maressa
exclaimed.

Leaf’s smile changed to
a concerned frown.

‘I had the black cloth
by me and I had been working on that particular design for some
time. It was surely a prompting from the Elders that caused me to
choose that shade of pink. I only had to cut the cloth and sew the
trousers – I did no fancy work today. Do they please you sacred
one?’

Leaf extended one wing,
drawing it close to her leg. The pink of her under feathers exactly
matched the pink of the embroidered pattern.

‘Oh they please me
mightily Salma!’

Salma blushed with
pleasure as her father appeared at the door. Maressa flung the
white cloak around Leaf and knelt to tug on the green leather soled
socks. Ren was already cloaked and hooded and he held out his hand
to the gijan.

Outside the temple in
its small front courtyard, the company formed protectively around
Ren and Leaf. Gan took up the rear with Maressa close beside him
again. Sket walked at Leaf’s right side, Navan at Ren’s left. Riff
and Pallin positioned themselves directly in front of them while
Olam took the lead with Taza. Pallin started grumbling within
moments of their emerging into the street.

‘Nearly dark and all
these folks still rushing about. Have they no homes to go
to?’

Gan heard Taza’s voice
as a soothing murmur but Pallin sounded more belligerent with each
step.