Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (34 page)

‘Sefri?’ she called
softly.

‘To your left Tika. I
am here, with Flower.’

Tika turned left along
a curved passage which rose slightly. She found herself at what was
obviously the front of the Ship, seeing through sloping windows the
Dragons and the gardens beyond. Below the windows were tilted
surfaces covered with coloured buttons, much like those she’d seen
in Kertiss’s underground chambers. Sefri sat in a strangely shaped
padded chair, her hand against the Ship’s wall. Tika felt a
calmness fill her.

She walked across the
small room and touched Sefri’s arm. The woman’s head was cupped in
the top of the chair and she looked dreadful. Her eyes were ringed
in dark shadows, a line of pain furrowed down between her brows and
her mouth was a thin tight line. Tika offered Sefri what help she
could, explaining how she had healed Farn. She wasn’t sure if the
Ship was listening but Sefri certainly was. Her eyes opened and she
sat up, leaning forward, intent on Tika’s every word.

‘I would be grateful if
you would try.’ The husky voice was the barest breath of sound and
Tika looked helplessly round the room. She shook her
head.

‘Sefri, I have to see
what I’m working on. Where is she in reality?’

Sefri waved Tika to the
second chair and tapped several buttons on the top of the desk. She
paused, tapped again and sat back. The tilted top lifted up and the
lower part split in two, each piece sliding silently out of
sight.

‘You can get no closer.
She is in a sealed environment: to break it would be her death
anyway.’

Tika slipped from the
chair to her knees, her hands flat against the transparent surface
of the large box. Within floated a brain linked by wires and lights
to what Tika couldn’t begin to guess. But the colours were faded,
the lights intermittently flashing and she somehow knew that Star
Flower truly had little time left. She turned suddenly, catching
Sefri’s hands in hers.

‘I cannot promise this
will work, but whatever I do, you must not interfere. Stay in
contact with her if you can and send her your strength. If you
permit, one of the Dragons will aid you, while the others help
me?’

Even as she spoke she
sent an urgent thought to Brin as Sefri nodded. Sefri gasped and
Tika knew she felt the surge of power from Brin’s mind. She saw
Maressa and Sket enter as she turned back to the Ship’s brain. She
steadied herself, breathing calmly, the memory of Iska teaching her
the centring exercises flitting through her head. Again she laid
her palms flat to the surface of the box. One more breath and she
slid through the very fabric of the container.

Briefly she panicked,
dragged in and down by the proximity of death itself. She felt
Seela’s love bolstering her and then Farn’s mind joined hers and
she began to work. Tika was unaware of when Sket knelt to support
her, or when Maressa’s hands covered her own as they began to slip.
She tipped forward, her brow resting against the box. Slowly she
felt Sefri’s link with Star Flower and paused to strengthen that
section of the brain. One organ and so much more complex than she
would have thought possible!

She found pathways and
circuits withered and misshapen and painstakingly she tended each
one. Deep within her, Tika knew she had nearly exhausted herself.
That was when voices began to sing to her, softly at first but
growing in volume in proportion to her weariness. Tika didn’t hear
her own gasping breaths: they were lost below the tempest of song
which raged through her. She saw for one heartbeat, the brain
glowing, its circuits radiantly coloured, before music and darkness
overwhelmed her.

And thus she didn’t
hear Star Flower’s cries of gratitude, didn’t see Sefri’s pouring
tears. Tika knew nothing, crushed against Sket’s chest as he
stumbled from the Ship with his precious burden. Ammi had set up a
bed below the front of the Ship at Maressa’s request and she stood
waiting and watching with several members of her family. All of
them sensed the great drawing of power but had been surprised to
find power emanating from all four of the Dragons. Willow and Piper
lay along Storm’s back as if asleep, but only Seela suspected their
minds were somehow linked with Tika.

Leaf leaned against
Farn, her eyes closed until she turned quickly, making the humans
jump. Farn trumpeted his call, head stretched high. Then he pushed
forward beneath the roof. Great tears rolled down his long
beautiful face as Sket staggered out of the Ship, Tika in his arms.
Sket lifted Tika up so the silver blue Dragon could examine her
properly before he placed her on the bed. Ammi moved to pull
blankets across the small body then gasped, her hand against Tika’s
cheek.

‘Fetch hot flasks – the
Halfling freezes!’

A young man hurried to
do her bidding. Ammi stared closer, watching Sket cautiously
lifting a gold chain to jiggle a pendant away from Tika’s chest.
The shirt was charred, burnt through where the pendant had lain.
Then Leaf was there, opening Tika’s shirt as Tika not so long ago
had opened hers. Sket unstoppered a small leather pot and held it
out to the gijan. With extraordinary tenderness she smoothed the
salve over the badly burnt skin.

She looked up suddenly
when Farn’s head lowered close over his soul bond. She dabbed a
spot of salve on his nose, gave a trill of laughter and stood up,
her wings fanned in glorious display. Willow and Piper squeezed
between the people and the Dragons, calling aloud in their own
rippling language. They too unfurled their wings, pink, green and
yellow feathers quivering as the strong fragrance of mint saturated
the air.

Tika had spent a full
day, one noon to the next, in repairing what she could of Star
Flower’s brain. She spent the following two days deeply asleep,
watched over by all the household of Green Shade. Sket was hugely
relieved to find Farn’s tears had not presaged a collapse of the
young Dragon’s nerves. He had refused to leave until Tika woke but
he had not fretted and fussed as he had on other occasions. Sket
thanked the stars for whatever Gremara had done to Farn.

Ammi, her family and
neighbours took turns sitting with Sket or Maressa: Sket insisted
that either he or the air mage must be there when Tika awoke. The
gijan continued their games in the garden, flying now and then to
peer beneath the verandah where Tika lay. Sket had been worried by
Tika’s coldness: her flesh felt like ice for half a day following
her work on Star Flower.

Ammi was more concerned
by the fact that they could not get Tika to swallow any liquid. As
Tika’s body slowly warmed, so her skin dried and began to flake,
her lips to crack. Ammi fetched large pots of a milky ointment
which they smoothed over Tika; turning her often to prevent sores
on her back or heels. In spite of his worry, Sket took comfort from
Farn’s calm confidence. Sefri had come to offer her help but Ammi
shooed her away.

‘Go and talk with Star
Flower. It will be a comfort to us to hear you saying your silly
old poems to each other again. Off with you!’

Sket managed a tired
smile. ‘What poems do they say Ammi?’ he asked.

‘Always about gardens
and growing things.’ Ammi sat back on her low stool by Tika’s head,
automatically putting the back of her hand lightly on Tika’s
brow.

‘Gardens?’ Sket was
mystified. He’d never heard any stories or songs or poems about
gardens.

Ammi gave him an
assessing look. ‘Why don’t you just sit back on those pillows and
I’ll tell you the tale.’

Unsuspecting, Sket
settled more comfortably, half propped on pillows, half against
Storm’s shoulder.

‘Well then,’ Ammi
began. ‘You know the Captain and her son travelled between the
stars? She had done so long before this Ship was made and the
Captain collected poems of gardens from many of the worlds she
visited. She has told us this tale so many times you understand.
Well, the Captains were chosen very carefully for each of these
Ships and the Captains learnt what their Ships were most interested
in.’

‘Like Star Singer,’
Maressa suggested. ‘He said his Captain brought him
music.’

Ammi nodded. ‘Just so.
Star Flower had chosen her own name of course, because she loved
the colours of flowers, their so many different shapes.’

‘Their scent?’ Sket
asked through a yawn.

‘Alas no. Star Flower
cannot smell anything. Anyway, Sefri brought her poems and they
spent the time on their long journeys going through all the poems
they’d found and making a garden of their own in their imagination.
The first thing Sefri did when she started to recover from the
crash was to arrange this garden. Of course, it has changed many
times over all the years, but it has brought great joy to them
both.’

Ammi paused, watching
Sket struggle to keep his eyes open. Maressa smiled and nodded to
Ammi to go on.

‘Sefri decided this
place would be called Green Shade because it is a term used in a
poem which she and Star Flower agree is one of their very favourite
poems. Well thank goodness for that – I thought he’d never drop
off!’

Maressa dropped a
blanket over Sket’s sleeping form and moved closer to Ammi. Farn
reclined beside the bed, his chin resting near Tika’s
shoulder.

‘Sket is our dearest
friend,’ he spoke softly in Ammi’s mind. ‘There is nothing he would
not do to help or protect us.’

The woman touched
Farn’s cheek with a finger. ‘Forgive me. I understand how this man
feels for you and the Halfling: it is how I feel for my Captain and
her Ship. But he will be of no use to anyone without some
sleep.’

Farn alerted everyone
in the late afternoon two days later that Tika was waking. When her
eyes finally opened, she was discomposed to discover a large
audience staring at her.

‘It’s all right,’ Sket
muttered, holding her hand. ‘Farn told them and they all wanted to
make sure you’re well.’

Tika struggled to a
more upright position, wincing at the pain from her chest and the
tightness of her skin. She grabbed the covers as they slid down
and, after a peek underneath, she groaned.

‘Why do you always
leave me with no clothes?’ she hissed.

Ammi tutted. ‘You can’t
wear much for a few days: your skin won’t bear it. We couldn’t get
you to drink.’

Tika realised she had a
raging thirst and drank gratefully from a bowl Ammi held for her.
It was a fruit drink, laced with something that bore a strong
resemblance to old Lorak’s restorative, and thickened with honey.
The effort of sitting up and taking a drink made Tika feel she’d
prefer to go back to sleep but she struggled to stay awake to deal
with everyone’s greetings and good wishes. The gijan were draped
across Seela’s back, watching her carefully with their dark eyes:
the last thing she noticed before dozing off again.

It was dark beyond the
verandah when she woke next. Maressa offered her another drink and
held the bowl for her.

‘Ammi has a bath ready
if you like – she says it will help your skin.’

Tika grimaced. ‘With an
audience?’

Maressa chuckled.
‘Everyone’s gone to bed.’

‘We’re still here,’
Farn objected.

Tika stroked his cheek
as his face swung close to hers. Leaf came from the shadows to
stand by the bed.

‘I’ll help you,’ she
held out her hand.

Tika sighed. ‘I don’t
know how far I’ll walk,’ she warned.

Farn huffed in
annoyance, reaching for her himself. He had never lifted her this
way before and Tika bit her dry lips as the sheet dragged and
wrinkled against her skin. Holding her between his upper arms and
chest, Farn shuffled carefully down the length of the building.
Ammi showed no surprise to see a Dragon carry the Halfling into her
kitchen. There was a large wooden tub filled with warm water to
which she directed Farn to bring Tika. Gently she took his burden
from him.

‘Now you go on outside.
Watching a lady at her bath is not seemly.’

Farn’s eyes whirr.
‘She’s not a lady, she’s my Tika!’ he began, his eyes flashing
faster when Maressa and Tika both started to laugh. He backed out
of the room, unsure of the reason for their amusement. Tika reached
a hand out to him.

‘Thank you Farn, I
won’t be long.’

Mollified, Farn huffed
for a while, settling outside the kitchen. By the time she’d been
soaked, patted dry and covered in Ammi’s ointment again, Tika felt
refreshed although still weary to her very bones.

Three days later she
tired easily but was able at least to walk slowly round the garden,
wearing a loose robe that belonged to one of Ammi’s granddaughters.
Her skin had plumped out again due to Ammi’s insistence on drinking
a great deal each day. The burn between her breasts remained sore
and angry looking: Ammi treated it with a poultice when Tika was
lying down and with a thick layer of a salve when she was up. Tika
carried the egg pendant in a pocket of the robe for now. She made
no attempt to speak with Star Flower, waiting instead for the Ship
to want to talk to her.

That request came,
through Sefri, six days after Tika had attempted the healing. Sefri
walked from the kitchen with Tika, leaving her at the Ship’s
door.